Our City Issue 08 by i•creation

COUNCIL PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR

Our City ISSUE 8: JANUARY 2009

Training to build city’s future SEE PAGE 16

Our City J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9

Mark Meredith

Minister backs city schools reorganisation EDUCATION Secretary Ed Balls has given his personal backing to schools reorganisation in Stoke-onTrent with the announcement of extra funding for seven secondary schools in the city. The schools – Berry Hill, Mitchell, Longton, James Brindley, Sandon, Birches Head and Brownhills – will receive a total of £1.1 million as part of nationwide support to schools involved the

E L E C T E D M AYO R

Priorities to see city through tough times HELLO and welcome to the first Our City of the New Year. I hope that you and your family had an enjoyable Christmas. As a city we face major challenges in the coming year. The economic downturn is hitting every part of the country. My priorities are keeping local people in work and creating new jobs at the same time as regenerating the city. That’s why my budget proposals include plans such as: ● Nearly doubling the budget to help local people back to work from £7 million to £13 million. ● Investing £90 million over three years on the city centre, University Quarter, town centres and economic development. ● Investing £174 million over three years for public and private housing. ● Investing £2.6 million in sports and leisure facilities. I’m also committed to a below-inflation council tax increase. I know that the last thing you need is a big rise in the council tax. Below inflation council tax rises were an election promise of mine that I delivered last year and I will endeavour to deliver this year. This issue of Our City looks at one of the city’s unsung heroes, a social worker looking after some of our most vulnerable children. There’s a new look at the issue of climate change and news of how we are working to engage all people – young and old – in shaping the city’s future. I hope you enjoy the read.

COVER PICTURE: Not just another brick in the wall... Stoke on Trent College apprentice bricklayers Patrick Thornton, left, and David Seabridge and the wall built exclusively for Our City with Stoke-on-Trent’s name in brick detail.

“These proposals will help to cement lasting transformation in our secondary school system.” Welcoming the news, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People’s Services, Councillor Roger Ibbs, said: “This is a ringing endorsement of our transformation plans and is an excellent example of good partnership and practical working between ourselves and central Government.”

Experts put town hall in top ten ‘must-visit’ I

N the style of a Greek temple with a stunning baroque clock tower, Burslem Town Hall has been admired by generations as architecture of special significance.

Now the iconic Victorian building, opened in 1854, has been officially recognised as one of the top 10 must-visit town halls in the UK by experts from a leading architectural magazine. The Mother Town’s old town hall has received the accolade from Architecture Today, taking its place along side the municipal megastructures of civic palaces in Manchester and Leeds. Burslem is, of course, one of the only towns in the UK to have two town halls. “We chose Burslem Town Hall because of the distinctive and idiosyncratic nature of its architecture,” said Chris Foges, Editor of Architecture Today. “It is a building of character and has high architectural quality – a great landmark with its famous golden angel on the clock tower. When local people see the town hall they know they are home.” Mr Foges explained that, in making their selections, the magazine’s judges had endeavoured to come up with a historical and geographic spread of town halls they considered to be well worth a visit from an architectural point of view. Other buildings which made the list range from Paisley Town Hall and Dunfermline City Chambers in Scotland to Hornsey Town Hall, London, and Lynton Town Hall in North Devon. Councillor Hazel Lyth, Stoke-on-Trent City Council Portfolio Holder for Culture and Enterprise, said: “Burslem is a town of cultural and historical importance. The town hall is just one of Burslem’s many

Meeting dates are now online Our City is printed on 100 per cent recycled paper. When you have finished with this publication please help the environment by passing it on to a friend or put it in your recycle blue bag.

National Challenge programme. The cash will give much needed help to consolidate the local authority’s plans for school improvement. Announcing the details, Mr Balls said: “I am particularly impressed by the local authorities who have combined well thought-out improvement plans with decisive proposals for long term change, including academies and trusts.

A full list of dates and times of full city council meetings and committee meetings can be found on the council website www.stoke.gov.uk/meeting dates

NATIONAL RECOGNITION: Burslem Town Hall is admired by architectural experts.

architectural gems. “This recognition by Architecture Today is not only a tribute to the town but to those who had the vision to

build such a magnificent town hall. Improvements in the town, such as Swan Square, are breathing new life in to an area full of history and heritage.”

Give us your feedback on this issue of Our City by emailing ourcity@stoke.gov.uk or write to: FREEPOST Our City – next issue out March 21

JANUARY 2009

Our City

Every citizen urged to play a part in transformation S

TOKE-ON-TRENT has 240,000 people, four municipal swimming pools, 22 parks, more cycle paths than anywhere else in Britain, is the best place to start a new business, has a £350 million pound budget and last year was the only city to attract Pele and Desmond Tutu at the same time. All that and oatcakes too!

Park scoops design awards CENTRAL Forest Park, Hanley, has scooped two national design awards for its innovative landscaping. The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) gave the accolades to the city council’s landscape team, which led the work including sculptures, high quality paving, lighting features and a decorative arch. Councillor Debra Gratton, Stoke-on-Trent City Council Portfolio Holder for Sports and Leisure, said: “Visitors travel from all over Europe to use the facilities. This award reflects the need for exciting art sculptures to enhance the landscape of the city.”

That’s a city on the verge of an exciting future. No wonder the city council’s Interim Chief Executive Chris Harman has a spring in his step. Each and every one of us has a part to play in shaping Stoke-on-Trent’s future. And now everyone living and working in the city is being invited to join the team to help drive forward its transformation. Chris is the person currently heading up the city council’s 12,000 employees, supporting the 61 elected members and he knows from experience that by taking responsibility and working as a team thousands of small achievements – things you and I can do every day – will make a huge difference to the future of this city. Interim Chief Executive and Council Manager Chris started making a difference as soon as he moved to Stoke-on-Trent in 2008. With “lots of stuff” to throw away after the removal process, he set out to look for the city’s waste recycling sites, only to find they weren’t signposted... they are now!

Move forward It’s an example of spotting a problem and asking for it to be put right which shows how Chris Harman’s watchwords for city council staff – responsibility, respect and teamwork – should be taken on board by all of us as residents of a city striving for excellence. Chris lives in Stoke-on-Trent and shares the frustration of local people who would like to see more bricks and mortar – buildings rising like a phoenix from the ashes – as part of the city’s exciting £1.5 billion regeneration agenda. Chris is optimistic, but also realistic, about the progress lined up for the next few years. He said: “Looking at what we are doing now – these are not simple schemes. We are talking about £250 million developments.You cannot jump in blindly. You have to plan and prepare and, in many cases, the actual building is the last stage of the process. The cherry on the cake. We have to enter into complex agreements, assemble land and clear and decontaminate sites first. It all takes time. I share the frustration of people who want to see things happening and happening now. I’d love to see a new bus station tomorrow. I’d love to see the business district built by the spring. We all share that sense of impatience but these things have to be done properly and there’s a massive amount of preparation work involved.” Stoke-on-Trent’s regeneration team has brought together some of the UK’s leading experts in transforming communities. Chris sees an exciting time ahead. He said: “We are seen as a happening city. Because of this we’ve been able to put a highly skilled team together who want to be here. That’s really good. We have the downturn and the credit crunch, as does everyone across the country, but we are confident we can still move forward.” Regeneration of buildings is just one element of creating a city fit for the 21st

century. Ground-breaking partnerships, like that forged with construction giant Kier, to maintain public buildings and city council homes in the city are being hailed as a success. And the proposal to introduce a private sector partner to run city council back-office administration is set to kick start the creation of a new business district in the city centre. But at the heart of this city’s transformation is £240 million providing improved education for secondary school pupils in Stoke-on-Trent, and a commitment to improving employment opportunities in the city.

Make a difference Chris said: “The regeneration of the city will fail if all we do is create nice jobs for people outside the city. We have to create jobs for the people who live here, and that means investing in skills and re-training for adults and improving our educational standards and attainment. The vital agenda for the future is the education of our children.” While he appreciates that some people have not supported the city’s plans for schools Chris feels that it is now time to move on and work together to get the best for our young people. “The investment programme has been signed off by the minister,” he said. “I know that people find change difficult, but we have to change to secure the future for our children and to do that we must move forward together.” It’s all about taking responsibility, whether as residents, city council officers, councillors or employers – each doing what they can to make a difference. Stoke-on-Trent’s people, said Chris Harman, are its future. “The thing that really hits you about Stoke-on-Trent is the sense of community,

OUT AND ABOUT... Interim City Council Chief Executive Chris Harman takes a walk down Cresswell Road, Hanley, with Geoff Brookes, Chairman of the Newshaw Walk Residents Association, and association secretary Brian Ball.

the sense of friendliness. The fact that if you go out to the shops or walk on the street people talk to you in a friendly way. We have to harness that sense of community. We have to build on the strengths of our city. I feel incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to do this job, particularly at this time in the history of Stoke-on-Trent. Our goal has to be to deliver together social, cultural, spiritual and political regeneration of this unique city.” In his quest to achieve this goal Chris Harman has sent out an invitation to everyone in the city to play their own part by flagging up the issues they feel need to be addressed. He said: “I’m very approachable and welcome people’s input. I will listen and will do my best to answer questions. People can be intimidated by the job title but one of the nicest things about being chief executive is when local people talk to you.” His pledge to “learn every day and share what I’ve learned with others” is a fresh approach from an interim chief executive who clearly feels comfortable with the people of Stoke-on-Trent. Having been part of the team taking the city from one of the worst councils in the UK to one of the best, his mission is simple: “That was not the work of one person – it was teamwork. We need to carry forward that work – to provide excellent services valued by our customers.” What do you think needs to be done to transform Stoke-on-Trent into a 21st century city? Write to FREEPOST Our City or email Chris Harman at: ourcity@stoke.gov.uk

City praised for alleygates STOKE-on-Trent City Council has been praised for its work in reducing anti-social behaviour. The Home Office has commended the city as an example of good practice after gates were put up in Birches Head, Shelton, Hanley and Trentham. Mark Meredith, Stoke-on-Trent Elected Mayor, said:“No-one wants trouble-makers hanging around near their home. These gates prevent them from accessing the area so help to reduce noise, misuse and litter.”

Safer food, better business SCORES of food businesses have been recognized for completing food hygiene management training through an innovative new project in Parnership with Newcastleunder-Lyme Borough Council. A total of 45 premises were presented with certificates after becoming the first to have completed a series of free workshops based on the Safer Food Better Business initiative. Councillor Joy Garner, Stokeon-Trent City Council Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said:“The sessions show our commitment to ensuring standards at food premises remain high for customers.”

4 Our City

JANUARY 2009

William Brown, left, and John Lake, celebrate the 21st anniversary of Hanley’s popular indoor market.

Stalwarts predict a bright future JOHN Lake and William Brown are two of the 21 stall holders who have been trading at Hanley Indoor Market since it opened 21 years ago. John, who displays a huge range of slippers, said: “This has always been a busy and popular market, even though trade at some markets in other parts of the country has dwindled. “Hanley Indoor Market has a wide catchment area and also benefits from customers attracted to the Potteries Shopping Centre. “People know that no matter what the big stores may offer, they will always find sale prices at the market.” William’s family of butchers had a stall in the former Hanley Market Hall from the 1930s. The business, established in 1875, moved from there to the present market in 1987. William said: “We are always busy and it’s a great atmosphere. “Our business at the market stall grows year on year. We find more and more young people are buying their meat from us because they think traditional butchers offer more choice than the supermarkets and that market prices are very competitive.”

Market traders celebrate

21 years’success I

T was the year of the Black Monday stock market crash – but just a month later in 1987 there was some cheerful market news for North Staffordshire. Hanley Indoor Market opened its doors for the first time.

The landmark 21st anniversary was celebrated in fine style on November 19, 2008. There were a host of special events, free gifts and promotions for thousands of shoppers who flocked to the stalls in the basement of the Potteries Shopping

attracts each year continues to grow from 2.5 million in 1987 to well over 3 million already in 2008. On the big day the Lord Mayor Councillor Derek Capey paid a visit to chat to customers and traders amid the balloons and bunting and 1,500 portions of birthday cake were handed to shoppers, while the Lord Mayor later took the top square of the cake to Northwood Day Care Centre. Customers were given the chance to win one of 1,001 prizes – from pens and commemorative mugs to an XBox 360 games console . More than half the stallholders entered into the 21st spirit, some by offering 21 per cent discount deals! And, of course, there were plenty of freebies and vouchers. Hanley Indoor Market currently houses 110 traders, meaning more than 55,000 items are available under one roof. They range from fresh food to fashion, soft furnishings to mobile phones and much, much more. The market has proved to be a consistent success story, with the number of people going through its doors Rebecca increasing by an average of two per cent annually. Over the past three years the McGill plays a city council has spent over £200,000 number game on the popular amenity to update its in the Gladstone heating, ventilation, lighting and class at Kemball Christmas decorations. Special School City Council Markets Manager Rob Nixon said: “The 21st celebrations created a feel-good day for both customers and traders. Markets like Hanley are able to compete with stores and supermarkets because they offer real added value and choice, which is what shoppers want, particularly in these financially hard times.”

Centre to join in the birthday bash. Fittingly, the 21 original traders who are still selling their wares at Hanley Indoor Market 21 years on received a speciallylabelled bottles of champagne. And history repeated itself, as the landmark anniversary fell at a time when, once again, people appreciate the value offered by the market during the current global economic turmoil. One thing that hasn’t changed in the 21 years is that Hanley remains the largest retail market in Staffordshire with 130 stalls, and the number of shoppers it

£30m investment will transform special schools SPECIAL schools in Stoke-on-Trent are set to benefit from a £30M investment programme – creating hundreds of new places for pupils in the city. The major investment plan will transform four schools in the city and create a “hub” for children experiencing behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The news follows 12 months of talks between Stoke-on-Trent City Council and education officials to identify the best ways forward. Portfolio holder for Children and Young People's Services, Cllr. Roger Ibbs, said:“This drives forward our continuing commitment to improving the educational needs of the children of Stoke on Trent. “The investment in this area of our work is all part of the continuing reorganisation programme for education in the city and will run alongside other development programmes.” As part of the plans Middlehurst School will be remodelled to accommodate more pupils, Kemball School will be relocated to a totally new site and Abbey Hill and Ainsley schools will be refurbished. The new hub centre will also be built – providing support across the city and will be managed under the Pupil Referral Service.

JANUARY 2009

Our City

Stadium tow zones

help solve match parking chaos S

TAFFORDSHIRE Police have warned reckless Stoke City fans who may be endangering lives on the A50 and A500 slip roads by picking up passengers as they leave matches at the Britannia Stadium.

The introduction of successful tow away zones around the stadium has stopped hundreds of motorists parking on grass verges near the stadium. The problem had reached its peak towards the end of the last season when up to 200 vehicles were causing chaos near Britannia Stadium. However, police say they are still having problems with people picking up fans after the game – causing a hazard for other vehicles as they slow down. Sergeant Ian Revans, of Stoke-on-Trent Road SUCCESS Policing Unit, said: STORY... “Pedestrians have one of the tow away zone signs which has deterred illegal match-day parking.

been killed or seriously injured on this road and towards the end of last season it was absolutely horrendous. Cars were abandoned everywhere and we needed to tackle this quickly. “Since the tow zones came into effect there has been a massive improvement. The problem on the slip roads seems to have been sorted with just one individual having his car towed away.” A task force of police and city council experts came up with measures to solve the parking chaos and make the match day experience at Stoke City more enjoyable for everyone concerned, while reducing its impact on those not attending the game. Initially letters were sent to around 40 persistent grass verge parkers, with the desired result. So far this season, police have only had to tow away one car. But Sergeant Revans said they were now targeting the dangerous practice of motorists picking up passengers from the slip roads. He said: “There are also still issues for the local residents in Fenton which the city council is trying to address. “However, we are pleased the tow zones have had such an effect and are now hoping to build on that by getting across the message that it’s also dangerous to pick up people on the slip roads.”

Public enquiry officer Mark Edwards pictured in the refurbished reception area at Hanley police station.

Revamped stations more user friendly A REVAMP of every police enquiry office in Stoke-on-Trent will make them a more welcoming and informative experience for visitors. Staffordshire Police carried out a review into the city’s six offices and interview rooms after identifying that more relevant information should be on display. Pictures of local officers with contact numbers, a police newsletter and copies of Our City will now be available. Divisional Media Manager for Stoke-on-Trent, David Bailey, said: “The information is designed to be more reassuring to people who have been victims of crime and encourage people to come forward to engage with us. “We want to make people feel more at ease so that they feed back what issues they want Staffordshire Police to concentrate on in their community as part of our You Said We Did campaign.” The changes affect Bucknall, Burslem, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall police stations.

Clair cooks up success for city schools SCHOOL cook Clair Jones is hoping that her opponents can’t stand the heat after winning her place in the regional finals of a cooking competition. She beat three other top chefs from schools across Stoke-onTrent – after pupils judged her culinary creation as the best during a cook-off. She will now represent the city at the Local Authority Caterers Association North West finals in Liverpool next month. The 35-year-old, who works at Sutherland Primary School in Blurton, said: “I’m really looking forward to the final. I absolutely love cooking for the children – although I never do any at home if I can help it.” The four chefs had to cook meals suitable for 11-year-old schoolchildren. Dishes had to include locally sourced ingredients and reflect seasonal availability. Clair created a pasta dish with cottage cheese, spinach and tomato sauce accompanied by pork and apple sizzlers and a sweet plum pudding topped with mascarpone cheese for dessert.

Jake Tomlinson and Ashley Andrews, who is wearing appropriate kit for handling asbestos at Burslem Campus.

Apprentices trained on hidden killer dangers THE dangers of asbestos were hammered home to apprentice tradesmen and women at Stoke on Trent College as part of a scheme to keep them safe during their working lives. Asbestos: The Hidden Killer helped 150 trainees learn the safest ways to handle the dangerous substance. The training was organised by officers from Stoke-on-Trent City Council as part of a Health and Safety Executive initiative. Councillor Joy Garner, Portfolio Holder for Environment, said: “It’s important that our new tradesmen and women know about this potential hidden killer in the workplace.” Every week nearly 40 people working in the building or home improvement business die from asbestos-related diseases.

6 Our City

Colonel Sanders

JANUARY 2009

PCSO Sara Porrino from the divisional road policing unit with a speed device on Lightwood Road, Lightwood.

Sir Henry Doulton

Identity mix up brings finger lickin’ confusion TALK of moving the statue of Sir Henry Doulton, the potter who founded the company which grew to become the world famous Royal Doulton, from its existing position in Burslem has given rise to a few wry-smiles in the Mother Town. There have been suggestions that a more appropriate location would be at the entrance to the planned office and workshop development on the former Doulton factory site across the town in Nile Street. Such a move would finally bury a 17-year-old myth of mixed up identity surrounding the statue. Currently standing just a few yards from the Kentucky Fried Chicken shop, the statue bears an uncanny resemblance to the founder of all things finger lickin’ good – Colonel Sanders. Unfortunately, it has led to confusion among a few that the statue is, in fact, of the Colonel and not the master potter. Some Arnold Bennett admirers are campaigning for a statue of the famous Potteries author to replace Sir Henry in Market Place, fittingly in the shadow of Burslem Town Hall which featured in Bennett’s novels. A scale model, pictured below, of the proposed Bennett statue has been produced showing the great man of letters sitting studiously with a text with two of his famous character creations Denry Machin, from The Card, and Anna of the Five Towns, looking over his shoulder. Surely there would be no Kentucky Fried confusion with Arnold, Denry and Anna.

Centenary countdown IN just 12 months Stoke-on-Trent will start a year of celebrations to mark the centenary of federation, when, in March 1920, the six towns of the Potteries came together as a County Borough, paving the way for the eventual creation of our great city. There will be many events to mark the occasion, but what would the people of Stoke-on-Trent like to do to celebrate? It’s a significant milestone in the life of what we all know is a unique city. Send your ideas for centenary celebrations in the post to Freepost Our City, or by email to ourcity@stoke.gov.uk

Serious accidents reduced by half T

HE number of serious road accidents in Stoke-on-Trent over the last year has gone down by 50 per cent compared with figures for 2007. Numbers were down from 73 people killed or seriously injured in 2007 to 29 people in 2008. The city’s police and highways bosses say schemes to make pedestrians and motorists of all ages aware of road safety, coupled with more efficient road engineering and enforcement measures, have resulted in the drop. A series of educational initiatives taught in schools – including pedestrian training, safer routes to school for children, cycle training and seatbelt awareness – have helped cut casualties. Sergeant Ian Revans, Divisional Road Policing Officer for Stoke-onTrent, said: “In 2007 a lot of people were killed in road accidents in the city and we’ve worked hard over the last year to impact on the number of youngsters killed or seriously injured on the roads. “The figures for 2008 are very promising and we are down by around about 50 per cent, which is a large reduction on the previous year. “Certainly we are very pleased with the progress made – as are our partners the city council, Highways Agency and the Staffordshire Casualty Reduction Partnership. “There are three areas the work can be grouped into; education, engineering and enforcement. At the end of 2007 we first of all had to get an understanding of what our problem was, look at our statistical information to see where we were having accidents and at what time of day, and of course establish which groups of people were mostly affected. “We found that well over half of the people killed on our roads were pedestrians, largely young people under 16. So working with the city council and schools we set about trying to teach them to be better

pedestrians and cyclists,” he added. “We looked at locations where accidents were occurring, so if there was an engineering problem the city council highways department or the Highways Agency would become involved. “We also found issues on the major trunk roads – the A50 and the A500 – and they have been working to improve conditions on those. “From an enforcement perspective, both the police and the Casualty Reduction Partnership have been working to ensure that the speeds people drive at in the city are lowered. When a pedestrian is hit by a car doing 30mph, eight out of ten will survive, whereas if they are hit by a car doing 40mph only one out of ten will survive.

Breath tests “It’s important that we keep speeds down by sending the message out to motorists so they know the reasons why they need to drive a little bit slower,” added Sergeant Revans. “Obviously, we can’t get pedestrians to wear crash helmets like we can motorcyclists.” Sergeant Revans added the Christmas drink-drive campaign had also resulted in the number of positive breath tests taken being reduced. January also sees the launch of new Community Speedwatch

schemes, a joint venture between the police and the city council, which will involve groups of people from different communities monitoring traffic speeds. Jim Tunney, Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Team Manager for Road Safety and TravelWise, said: “The initial pilot scheme was set up in the Newstead area where it has gone from strength to strength. “There are other areas of the city that are now looking to introduce this facility. We are funding four sets of equipment for Community Speedwatch schemes. “The idea of the scheme is to reduce speeds in particular areas by securing the involvement of volunteers to go out and do speed checks on various stretches of road. “This will then tie in with the work of the police and the Casualty Reduction Partnership in notifying individuals caught speeding.” He added: “The reductions achieved so far are very encouraging. What we’ve got to bear in mind as well is that you don’t identify one particular strand as a major contributor to casualty reduction. “It is with regard to all the issues we have pinpointed – education, engineering and enforcement – that we managed to reduce casualties. It is when all these strands are pulled together that it contributes to fewer accidents.”

Residents join speed campaign VOLUNTEERS are needed urgently to help run a community speed campaign in Fenton. The Community Speedwatch initiative will be implemented as soon as enough volunteers come forward. Schemes have already been successfully launched in Trentham, Penkhull, Boothen, Heron Cross, Trent Vale and Hartshill. PC Kerrie Mayer is urging people to get involved: “Residents have raised concerns about speeding in the Fenton area, at least six volunteers are needed and I would urge anyone interested to contact us as soon as possible.” ■ Kerrie can be contacted by telephoning 0300 123 2345 and, when prompted, entering 04959.

JANUARY 2009

Our City

In the wake of the Baby P tragedy, Our City talks to a Stoke-on-Trent social worker about the pressures and responsibilities of the job and realities of dealing with family problems at the sharp end...

Dedicated to keeping

children

safe I

T’S a testing time to be a social worker. Media coverage of the Baby P tragedy has cast a negative shadow over the role – and in many cases this has tainted the public’s perception of the profession.

many families throughout the city and is reliant on developing relationships with the people he is helping as well as other professionals who have contact with them. Dave said: “There are a lot of myths surrounding social workers that prompt a lot of unfounded criticism against us. A lot of people think that we have powers that are actually above and beyond our remit. “For example, when someone has called us about a child they have concern for, the public may think that we are able to walk into that child’s home and physically examine them to check for any injury or sign of abuse. “This simply is not the case. We are trained to observe signs and indicators of abuse or neglect and then involve appropriate professionals accordingly like a paediatrician or even the police. “We’re working closely with lots of these professionals on a daily basis including teachers, health workers and voluntary groups like churches and charities. “Not all our work is dealing with abuse, thankfully. Our remit is working with ‘children who are in need’. This often means talking with families to understand their needs and putting together a plan of support so that that child is cared for appropriately.”

The country was shocked by the death of Baby P, a 17-month-old boy who suffered appalling abuse at the hand of his mother, her boyfriend and her lodger. A damning report resulted in severe criticism of Haringey Social Services in north London. However, like the vast majority of his colleagues, Stoke-on-Trent social worker Dave Keeping wants to dispel the myths and assure the public that he, and his colleagues, have an absolute commitment to safeguarding the welfare of children in our city. Dave is one of a number of social workers employed by the city council’s Children’s and Young People’s Services. It need to manage risk effectively and have is a service that is officially improving. very difficult conversations with people and After difficult times over the past few can even be physically threatened. years it has just been assessed by Ofsted Emotions can run high, so it is vital to inspectors, as meeting Government remain focused and remember that expectations having received an children and young people’s welfare is our “Adequate” rating. priority.” “We’ve been working hard to ensure that Another myth is that social workers are the service we provide is quick to take children away from improving significantly for the heartbroken families without On Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s children and young people in our thinking of the consequences. city,” said Dave. “It is nice to Dave said: “Taking a child ability to safeguard children Ofsted hear that this is now being from its parents and placing him inspectors said: “There has been recognised nationally. or her ‘into care’ is always a last “Not only is it exciting to see resort for us. We know that for rapid and significant improvement the pace of change within the most children, staying within and there is a clear focus on further their family will be the best place service but more importantly the positive outcome it is having for them. improvement... staff are competent, for“This children. means we will always try “I hope that this change is to work with a family to confident and well supported.” seen by people in the city as a minimise any risk to a child. really positive thing and demonstrates our “At times this means asking an abusive Dave pointed to the high pressure commitment to safeguarding the welfare of parent to stay away from the home, or environment in which social workers children and meeting the needs of families. operate, with little control over the demand seeing whether wider family like a Primarily it says that the arrangements are grandparent or aunt could care for a child for their services. all in place for children in Stoke-on-Trent until further work and assessments have “As such we try to be very clear about to keep them safe.” been completed.” thresholds for our involvement in families Dave believes that careful planning, It’s not a nine-to-five job either – at lives, as there are a range of other listening to the views of children and young professionals in the city who can, and do, times your work can go on into the night people and partnership working are the support families very effectively when lower after the office has closed. Dave said: “I keys to succeeding in his role. think the media can often portray social level support is needed,” he said. As part of a Child-in-Need team, based workers as heading off home as soon as five “At times, being a social worker can feel at the Regent Centre in Hanley, Dave helps like a bit of a thankless task in which we o’clock comes. That’s just not reality.

Social Worker Dave Keeping calls on a family home in the city. Dave’s face is not shown in the picture to protect the confidentiality of his work and his clients.

“Businesses close at five, but we’re not a business. We work with real people whose problems and needs carry on after the office closes. “There is a lot of paperwork surrounding the job too but it is there for a good reason – to make sure checks and safeguards are in place and proper procedure is being followed. “You don’t get into this job for an easy life, but don’t get me wrong, I work in a very supportive team where both colleagues and managers understand the real pressures of the work and working with children and young people on a daily basis is really very rewarding. “Helping them achieve positive outcomes in life, and promoting their welfare is definitely the source of my job satisfaction.” Dave believes the restructuring of the service over the last year has made the job much more effective and more manageable. He said: “The framework and policies now in place mean that there is better management, better accountability and more supervision and support – meaning the decisions I make out in the field receive crucial support. We are still on a journey towards excellence but have now reached a position where we can be proud of the service we are providing.” ■

8 Our City

JANUARY 2009

Plan to beat fuel poverty AN extensive three-year plan to target fuel poverty has been announced by Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Insulation improvements are to be carried out on 20,000 Stoke-on-Trent homes. Councillor Joan Bell, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Neighbourhood Management said:“Rising energy costs, energy inefficient homes and low incomes can cause a household to become ‘fuel poor.’ “When households spend more than 10 per cent of their income on heating their homes, they are living in fuel poverty.” She added:“This strategy is a pledge by the city council and its partners to play a key role in improving housing conditions.” The elderly, young children and people with disabilities are more likely to be in fuel poverty. Households with residents aged over 60 will get £300 winter fuel payments and £400 for those over 80. Councillor Bell said: “In 2004/5 around 230 people died in the city as a result of respiratory and circulatory diseases during winter. In 2004 over 17,000 homes in Stoke-on-Trent were fuel poor. These figures are unacceptable.” ● If you think you are in fuel poverty please call Stokeon-Call on 01782 234234.

Young people given a say on shaping city’s future T

HE first-ever Young People’s Conference has been held in Stoke-on-Trent to give teenagers a say in the city’s future.

Your City,Your Vision,Your Choice brought together more than 200 people aged between 14 and 19, at the Regent Theatre.Youngsters had the opportunity to speak about their hopes for the future of the city, youth facilities and how communities can work better together. Councillor Roger Ibbs, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young Peoples Services, said: “The young people of this city are its future and it is vital that we listen to their voice and their opinions. “Raising the aspirations of young people so they can thrive in the future is so important and a conference like this, dedicated to them, is an excellent way of allowing young people to express themselves and for the older generation to listen.” The event featured a Question Time style session where young people could quiz Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Interim Chief Executive Chris Harman, Director of Children and Young People’s Services Ged Rowney and Chief Inspector Wayne Jones from Staffordshire Police on issues that affect them.

Future Teenager Shannon Taggart, 14, a member of the City Wide Youth Council and United Kingdom Youth Parliament who attended the event, said: “It was important for young people to attend the conference as adults have too much say in young people’s future. “We, as young people, should start dictating how we want to live life in our generation.” Sofina Hussain, 15, of Trent Vale, went to a workshop about raising aspirations. She said: “It was really good because I was able to chat to people from different areas and it was nice that we all had similar views. I think it is really important to put forward your ideas to the city council because that's how things get changed.” Erica Roberts, 16, is a member of the Stoke Youth Club. She went to a workshop about prejudice and discrimination and said: “I learned about the different religions and cultures. It is important because you get to understand peoples beliefs more.” We want young people to tell us their hopes for Stoke-on-Trent’s future. Write to Freepost Our City or email ourcity@stoke.gov.uk

SPEAK OUT... Erica Roberts, 16, and Sofina Hussain, 15, both of Trent Vale, pictured outside the city’s first Young People’s Conference.

New fire stations to serve city communities TV star Nick visits centre HUNDREDS of residents attended the annual open day at Bentilee Neighbourhood Centre and enjoyed a variety of interesting activities. The centre is dedicated to helping the community. The event was opened by Lord Mayor Councillor Derek Capey, and TV celebrity Nick Hancock came along. Prizes included a signed Stoke City shirt and a Nintendo Wii.

WORK will get underway on three new fire stations in Stoke-on-Trent this summer. The state-of-the-art facilities are designed to be proactive bases benefiting the whole city. A new station will be built at Sandyford off Reginald Mitchell Way while fire stations will be rebuilt on their current sites at Hanley and Burslem. Community groups will be able to use the facilities and the newly designed stations will also allow for more safety activities to take place, such as student firefighter courses. All stations have been designed with a community facility and state of the art operational facilities. The public will help shape the facilities, but suggested uses include parent

and toddler sessions, adult learning classes and resident group meetings. Hanley and Sandyford will also include fitness facilities for use by supervised groups. Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive Peter Dartford said: “We are leading the way in the UK Fire and Rescue Service with these purpose built community embracing fire stations. “Our current fire stations were built at a time when they were almost solely a reactive service just responding to

emergencies, they were certainly not built for the pro-active service we are today or the service we are going to be in the future – sitting at the heart of the community.” The Sandyford station will open in July 2010, Burslem will follow in May 2011 and Hanley’s community station will open in June 2011. Area Commander for Stoke-onTrent Julian Hilditch said:

“These brand new stations will allow us to open our doors to the people of Stoke-on-Trent and give us the opportunity to really embed ourselves within the local communities.” A computer generated walk through video of a new station is available on the services website: www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk

Hanley’s new community station will open in 2010.

JANUARY 2009

Our City

Bids for £250m partnership

Scenes of Crime Officer Bridgette Cooper dusts a car for fingerprints.

Forget TV... here is the

real life forensics P

OPULAR prime-time TV shows like the BBC’s Waking the Dead and Sky’s CSI series have sent applications for work with the forensics team at Staffordshire Police soaring.

But the grim reality of dealing with dead bodies and spending days meticulously cataloguing a crime scene can be a far cry from the glamourised Hollywood portrayal. Bridgette Cooper, 47, who has spent nine years as one of just eight of the specialist officers working in Stoke-on-Trent, said many hopefuls interested in joining the service were completely unaware of what the job entailed. “The TV programmes make it seem like a very exciting job. People have this perception that you perform miracles – prancing around a crime scene in high-heels, full make-up and solving the crime in an hour,” she said. “We get lots of applications every month for placements. However, they forget there could be a grisly dead body that you have to deal with and lengthy investigations that will follow. “ And they don’t realise you could be working at scenes where there is no electricity, lighting and all sorts of problems gathering the evidence.”

The slick CSI series trails a team of forensic scientists in Las Vegas. Sky’s popular Cold Case follows the Philadelphia Homicide Division while BBC viewers can watch Trevor Eve and his team solve dramatic crimes in Waking The Dead. In reality many scenes of crime officers, including some of those working in Staffordshire, have their background in the Armed Forces – giving them the experience to deal with harrowing cases. Bridgette, a former Job Centre employee, has learnt to deal with the psychological impact that

repeated exposure to crime scenes can have. “A self-preservation mechanism kicks in because the things you are going to see aren’t going to be pleasant and people have trouble coping with that,” she explained. “When I started in the job, my friends and family were very excited and interested. However, now they see it for the job it is. My daughter says it is the last thing in the world she would do – because she knows the reality. “I would say that you should think long and hard before deciding to become a scenes of

Five things NOT to do when confronted with a crime scene ■ Don’t touch windows or door handles that have been forced by a burglar – you may be removing fingerprints that could lead to a conviction. ■ Don’t move anything that is out of place – photographs will need to be taken of the crime scene which could be used in a criminal trial. ■ Don’t walk on shiny surfaces where there might be the possibility of footwear marks – again it

might destroy crucial evidence. ■ Don’t clean up any blood or spit that may be present before scenes of crime officers have had chance to take a sample – it may contain the burglar’s DNA. ■ Don’t look through jewellery boxes or draws that have been rifled through – even though you may be anxious to find out what property has been stolen.

crime officer – not everyone is suited to it.” Bridgette, who is based at Hanley Police Station, takes photographs, fingerprints and carries out forensic work on arrival at a crime scene. She then compiles a report on her findings, which is presented to the CPS and forms part of any resulting case. On a normal day – when she is dealing with more run-of-themill incidents like vehicle crime and burglaries – she is called to between five and ten crime scenes a day. Bridgette believes members of the public can play a big role in making her bring a lot more offenders to justice by taking a few simple precautions when they are faced with a crime scene. “People are distressed when they find they have been burgled and they close windows and doors and touch things like jewellery boxes which have been stolen from. “We are looking for the best evidence we can find. Footwear marks, blood and spit samples or anything that looks out of place that we might be able to get a full fingerprint off. “However, sometimes it can be very difficult because people go round a crime scene and touch things – leaving huge palm prints which can slow down or even ruin the investigation.”

A SHORT-list of bidders for a £250 million partnership to help develop the city’s business district has been published. Stoke-on-Trent City Council has received interest from five bidders: Balfour Beatty and BT Global Solutions, Capita Symonds, IBM UK Consortium, Fujitsu Services and Kier, and Serco. The successful bidder will deliver city council information technology, property services, asset management and facilities management services in the business district for 10 years. The district will create 2,500 jobs and bring improved transport links to the city centre. Results are expected by the end of November 2009 with the contract being signed in February 2010. Councillor Kieran Clarke, Portfolio Holder for Resources, said:“Selecting a strategic partner is a critical decision for the city council and the way it delivers services. It is also vitally important for the regeneration of the city centre. “These are exciting times for Stoke-on-Trent and the fact that we are able to attract such a high calibre of bidders shows the faith people have in the city.”

City hosts top gymnasts HUNDREDS of talented gymnasts came together in Stoke-on-Trent for a national competition. Over 400 gymnasts competed in the British Gymnastics Open 2008 held at Fenton Manor Sports Complex. The competitors included visitors from Comoros, an island off the East Coast of Africa. Councillor Debra Gratton, Portfolio Holder for Sport and Leisure, said: “Stoke-on-Trent is the ideal venue for some of the best up and coming young athletes in the country.”

Vital help for rough sleepers INFORMATION is now available to help rough sleepers get themselves off the streets. The city council and its partners are providing cards, posters and contact booklets at hostels, libraries, GP surgeries police and fire stations. They include a list of organisations that help the homeless along with contact details for Housing Solutions, Drug and Alcohol services and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

Our City J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9

Tracy Cresswell of Longton Fire Station who won last year’s Rescue MORE Award.

Hunt on for top firefighter NOMINATIONS are being sought for an award that congratulates firefighters who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue MORE Staff Awards has one category that is based entirely on the public vote. All staff from volunteers to frontline officers are eligible and people can vote on the web or by post. Chief Fire Executive Peter Dartford said: “It could be a Control Room Operator who gave fire survival advice over the phone, a member of support staff who commits their spare time to helping the community or a team of firefighters who have worked tirelessly during a flooding incident.” You can nominate by logging on to www.staffordshire fire.gov.uk or requesting a form on 08451 22 11 55.

Awards honour unsung heroes COMMUNITY heroes in Stokeon-Trent have been rewarded for their tireless efforts at an awards night held by Signal Radio. The Public/Voluntary Sector Worker of the Year Award, supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, was presented by Elected Mayor Mark Meredith to Craig Bloor. Craig is a full-time volunteer who gives up his time for young people from Coalville, helping them with problems and staging activities to improve the area. The Contribution to the Community Award was presented to Lee Carroll, a neighbourhood worker for Beth Johnson Housing association, based at Hanley's Wellington Street Area Community Hall. Lee’s nomination for the award said he was an inspiration for the way he organises events, cooks meals for residents and even gives up his Christmas Day to provide people with lunch.

Thistley Hough High School Headmaster Rob Haines with pupils Thomas Allcock, 11, and Amy Ecclestone, 11

School celebrates years with huge rebuilding plan

HEN Thistley Hough High School marked its 70th anniversary last year thoughts were firmly focused on the future rather than on past decades. The event also brought the local Penkhull community, children and staff together to have their say on what the new 21st century school should offer. A new school is being built adjacent to the existing building. It was part of a wide ongoing consultation process to make sure that when the doors of the current premises, opened in 1938, close for the last time, it will be replaced by a new state-of-the-art school. The new construction part of the city’s £250 million Building Schools for the Future programme and will meet the needs and aspirations of its 850 pupils, staff, parents and the wider local community. As headmaster Rob Haines explained: “I want everyone in the community to be involved in planning the new school. Sometimes people can feel that projects like this are something that is done to them. I want everyone in this area to feel involved because the new school is for them – not just teachers like me!” Plans are due to be drawn up for Thistley Hough late next year. The school, which is also a Media and Visual Arts College, should be finished in 2012/2013 – in time for today’s Year Seven pupils to benefit from the brand new

facilities. Thistley Hough will continue to be a truly comprehensive school with high quality teaching staff and ultra-modern curriculum and will work closely with other schools and academies across the city. Top quality sports facilities will be key to the overall plans and these will be available for the local community to use after school hours and at weekends. Architects will also be tasked with looking at ways of developing creative solutions to important issues such as car parking. The new school will incorporate cutting edge features, such as IT facilities that will maximise opportunities for photography, video and other creative media activities. There also be a performing arts hall that can be easily transformed from a dance studio to a seated auditorium. Innovative teaching spaces will replace conventional classrooms. Also planned into the new school will be the most modern specialist manufacturing facilities to continue the school’s skill-based curriculum that

includes crafts as diverse as textile design, furniture making and small-scale electronics. Rob Haines said: “We will also continue to concentrate on basic skills, such as the three Rs, because we will still be a genuine comprehensive school and we want to offer a broad and balanced curriculum in order to meet a broad range of needs.” The new school has been designed to cater for more than 1,000 pupils so it has the space to grow. It will also continue to share its facilities with groups in the community such as a local rugby club and the North Staffs Operatic Society who use the school for rehearsals. Everything possible will be done to keep

disruption to a minimum for people who live near the school during construction. The local community will also be consulted about the creation of an attractive green space environment around the school. Two years ago Thistley Hough was listed as a special measures school, but now it boasts a very good Ofsted report, high examination passes and last year won the coveted Leading Aspect Award for pupil involvement. Rob Haines said: “The pupils and staff are to be applauded for all this progress and achievement. The new school with its state-of-the-art facilities will help them maintain and further improve their performance. They richly deserve such a high quality learning environment.”

JANUARY 2009

Our City

Two national awards reflects dedication of city council staff

Refuse Collector Darren Kirton, Podiatrist Hazel Gibb and PCSO Lisa Donachie – who each walk many miles in the course of a day’s work – try out the pedometers.

STOKE-on-Trent City Council's Children and Young People's Services is celebrating after two of its teams scooped high profile national awards. The REACH Pupil Referral Unit based at Bucknall won Team of the Year Award at the Children and Young People Now magazine awards in London. REACH was set up to help young people who were on the verge of exclusion, or had been excluded from their schools. It also acts as a hub and support team for school staff across the city. Evidence of the hard work put in by the team has been reflected with some excellent academic results, including 100 per cent of Key Stage 4 pupils achieving three or more GCSE's and nearly a third of pupils gaining three or more A-C GCSE's. The nineteen strong team looks after around 40 pupils at any one time and focuses on helping to make young people realise their potential as well as building their self esteem. Meanwhile, the multi-agency organisation Stoke Speaks Out has won the Nursery World magazine Working with Parents Award. Stoke Speaks Out aims to tackle speech and language difficulties of young children in the city.

THE POTTERS – a cartoon family created to promote the award-winning Stoke Speaks Out project. The award reflects the work carried out with parents in promoting confident communication with their own children. Commenting on both awards, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People's Services Councillor Roger Ibbs said: “They are fantastic achievements for everyone concerned and I should like to commend all those involved for their hard work. “These are challenging areas of work and it's a reflection on the dedication and commitment of the staff that they came out top, against tough opposition."

10,000 steps

in right direction P

EOPLE in Stoke-on-Trent are on the right path to a healthier lifestyle thanks to an imaginative scheme which encourages them to walk more.

The Walking Your Way to Health Programme, offers free training to local people to become a volunteer walk leader and lead group walks in their community. The walks can be tailored to suit all abilities. The programme aims to target sedentary people to increase levels of physical activity by encouraging a 12 week walking plan using a pedometer and increasing the number of steps each day. Doing 30 minutes of moderate intensity level of physical activity (e.g. 10,000 steps), 5 times a week can help you to maintain a healthy weight, lower your blood pressure and increased all round physical and mental well-being. Siu-Ann Pang, Senior Health Improvement Specialist for Obesity, said “The pedometers work because they encourage people to set their own pace and

personal challenge aswell as walking with family, friends and work colleagues for peer support. Walking is low cost and can be done anywhere, whether it’s part of your job or for leisure” The programme also includes the development of 20 ‘closer to home’ self led walking maps which will be available online or hard copy in various community locations. The maps will contain how many steps each route will generate, distance and degree of difficulty of the routes. The walking maps can be used as a ‘self led’ or ‘group’ health walking activity. More importantly it can be used as part of our daily routine to increase levels of physical activity within the community. NHS Stoke on Trent has commissioned and working in partnership with Federation of Stadium Communities (FSC) based at Port Vale Football club, to coordinate the programme. For further information on being a volunteer walk leader or copy the walking maps please contact: Pat Whitehouse on: 01782 831900.

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Our City J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9

JANUARY 2009

Pupils take up

eco challenge

Y A WINNING TEAM: left to right, Neighbourhood Renewal Manager Phil Dawson, Principal Renewal Manager Tracy Chattin, Project Officer Emma Bridgwood, Chair of the Blurton Farm Residents Association Christine Pratt, Project Officer Steph Cooper and Project Assistant Sue Williams.

Award recognises team’s efforts A TEAM of public-spirited Stoke-on-Trent City Council workers has won a national award for helping relocate pensioners to new housing accommodation in the city. The city council’s Neighbourhood Renewal Team beat off stiff competition from organisations in Derby and Norwich to pick up the Public Body Award at the 2008 Directory of Social Change Awards. They were nominated for the award by Blurton Farm Residents’ Association for helping to move elderly people to new purpose-built bungalows at Denham Gardens last year. The team spent several months

helping the residents choose fittings for their new homes, organising meetings and hosting coffee and cake evenings before helping them settle into their new surroundings. Chairperson of the residents’ association Christine Pratt said:“When the elderly people moved, the team went above and beyond the call of duty to help them – nothing was too much trouble. And they did everything they could to make the move as easy as possible. They dedicated a huge amount of time to it and I can’t speak highly enough of them.”

Extra beds to ease A&E pressure FIFTY new hospital beds have been made available in the community to ease increasing pressure on North Staffordshire’s busy Accident & Emergency department. Health bosses at NHS Stoke on Trent, NHS North Staffordshire and The University Hospital of North Staffordshire acted quickly to ensure the availability of the additional beds in the wake of a sudden drastic increase in attendances at A&E over the Christmas period. The move is being

followed up by a further 31 extra beds early this year. Rigorous checks also set out to ensure that the hospital has 12 empty beds by 2pm every day, while staff also aim to discharge 50 patients a day – an increase of 25 per cent – where medically appropriate. A joint statement from Chief Executive of NHS Stoke on Trent Graham Urwin, Chief Executive of North Staffordshire PCT Tony Bruce and Chief Executive of the University

Hospital Julia Bridgewater, said: “We have seen an unacceptable situation at A&E recently. “All A&E departments come under pressure at this time of year and we are no different from anywhere else. “These measures are just the tip of the iceberg and a very immediate response to the increased pressure, but there will be more long-term actions being taken over the coming weeks that will achieve a sustained improvement.”

Services to help jobless find work JOBCENTRE Plus has unveiled a package of services to help unemployed people in Stoke-on-Trent back into work. It starts with helping anyone who has been made redundant make a benefit claim and make an appointment by calling freephone 0800 055 66 88. A financial assessor will advise on benefits, and people claiming jobseeker’s allowance are given advice on looking for work and what jobs are available.

After that there are fortnightly follow up appointments which address any issues which may be preventing someone from getting a job, and spotlight any new suitable vacancies. An online jobkit called Finding Your Way Back to Work is available at www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk /JCP/Customers/outofwork helplookingforwork ● For more advice, call 0845 6060 234 or drop into Jobcentre Plus.

OUNG people are driving forward Stoke-on-Trent’s quest to be one of the greenest cities in the UK. School pupils have taken up the eco challenge to improve the way residents care for the environment. Many played a pivotal role at a conference aimed at tackling the effects of climate held at the King’s Hall, Stoke, in November. Two schools – Sandon Business and Enterprise College and St Thomas Moore Catholic College – were heavily involved on the day which brought together more than 150 delegates from the world of business, education and the city council for workshops. A panel of pupils quizzed city leaders about what the local authority is doing to reduce its carbon footprint. Others involved attended three workshops based around energy savings and renewables, new technology and business and changing the culture. Stoke-on-Trent’s Elected Mayor Mark Meredith said he was extremely pleased that schools had embraced an eco friendly culture along with many other members of the community. Mark said: “We all have a responsibility to help reduce our carbon footprint. Getting young people to meet civic and business leaders to discuss the issues surrounding climate change is one way of stimulating debate. “Hopefully the youngsters will go back to their schools with the message that the effects of climate change affect us now, but more importantly, that actions taken now will influence the lives of future generations. “We’ve had a good response from local business and there’s definitely a spirit to take this issue seriously.

St Thomas Moore Catholic College pupils Olivia Fanthorpe and Jordan Gardner about to start work on the proposed site for the new sensory garden.

Sandon Business and Enterprise College pupils Brendon Shaw, above, and Shaun Bodman, below, get the energy saving habit.

The youngsters had plenty of challenging questions for the adults on the day and I’m sure they found it fun as well as informative.” Sandon Business and Enterprise College is a leading light when it comes to eco friendly initiatives. The school was the first in the city to gain permanent Euro eco school status and over the last two years has taken part in many projects and green strategies. Geography teacher Pauline Marsden, who is leader of study with responsibility for eco schools and environmentalism, said: “It is fascinating to see how the pupils’ awareness for the environment has grown.

They actively play a part in trying to reduce the schools energy use and waste and it is having a real impact. “For instance, they are involved in checking classrooms to make sure computers, lights and taps haven’t been left on – it really does make a difference. And the pupils have been heavily involved in the climate change conference and eco schools project.” Pauline added: “We have just moved to a new modern, purpose built school premises which has many environmental benefits but because there is an increase in technology such as computers and ICT it also increases the amount of energy we use in that way. So we are also looking at ways to save energy to offset this necessary increase.” St Thomas Moore Catholic College is at the other end of the spectrum to Sandon. It has Councillor Joy Garner, Portfolio Holder for the Environment, chats with Sandon Business and Enterprise College pupils Zoe Hallam, centre, and Charleigh Smith at the climate change conference.

Elected Mayor Mark Meredith signs up Stoke-on-Trent to a Biodiversity Pledge at the Climate Change Conference. Looking on is Keith Austin, Lead Member for the Environment at the West Midlands Local Government Association.

Our City

Life-saving aid and training for firefighters in Pakistan PAKISTANI firefighters have been given life-saving equipment and training following an aid mission organised by local schoolchildren and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service. The project – which was designed to help car crash victims – was arranged by Hanley firefighter Majid Ullah after a visit to the country. He noticed a huge reliance on foreign aid and a lack of structure in place for dealing with basic emergencies and decided to take action. Cutting equipment no longer needed by Cheshire’s Fire Service was donated. Meanwhile, 15 and 16 year olds from Shelton worked alongside Staffordshire firefighters to develop a training package that can be sent out alongside the new kit. Majid and Ramzan Mohammed from Stoke-on-Trent College then handed over the equipment and delivered the training at the end of December. Julian Hilditch, Stoke-on-Trent Area Commander for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue said: “It’s been great for the young people on the course to develop their skills, find out more about the fire service and most importantly do something which they’ve found really rewarding.”

Parade to bid farewell started along a co-ordinated eco project path. Following participation in the climate change conference more schemes will come online during 2009 – starting with a sensory garden tended by the pupils and staff. As part of its commitment, the city council is working with partners to reduce greenhouse gasses associated with housing, transport and business activity by 13 per cent by 2011. The climate change conference created 3.5 tonnes of carbon. To offset this, the Forestry Commission, in partnership with Natural England will be planting 500 trees throughout the city. ■

Lord Mayor Councillor Derek Capey demonstrates an alternative green transport mode of travel to St Thomas Moore Catholic College pupils, left to right, Jack Steele, Lee Finch, Joshua Mills and Tom Birks.

SOLDIERS of the 3rd Battalion The Mercian Regiment – formally 1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment – will parade in Stoke-on-Trent as part of their farewell celebrations before their relocation to Fallingbostel in Germany next July. Around 150 troops will march through the city centre and around the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, February 21. Lord Mayor Councillor Derek Capey said: “Many of the troops are from North Staffordshire and we want to give them a proper send off.”

Our City J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9

JANUARY 2009

Pupils take up

eco challenge

St Thomas Moore Catholic College pupils Olivia Fanthorpe and Jordan Gardner about to start work on the proposed site for the new sensory garden.

Sandon Business and Enterprise College pupils Brendon Shaw, above, and Shaun Bodman, below, get the energy saving habit.

Our City

14 Our City

JANUARY 2009

How do the Green Papers work? An easy step by step guide

Councillor Joan Bell is pictured at Denham Gardens, Blurton, with residents Chris Cotterell, John Lockwood and Donald Beech. The development is a prime example of a successful affordable housing scheme.

Step 1 X

The Elected Mayor publishes a Green Paper. This draft policy document sets out a number of proposals and how these might be carried out in principle. Step 2 X The Elected Mayor invites people to tell him, within a set time period, what they think about the Green Paper proposals Step 3 X The Elected Mayor considers all comments carefully. He presents a report, summarising the comments and describing to use them to make better policies. Step 4 X In some cases, your comments will be used directly to amend or introduce new city council policies. In others, they’ll help the city council improve the way it makes policies over the mid-to-long term. There are lots of ways people can get in touch with their comments. They can write to the Elected Mayor, using the detachable form on the Green Paper. Write to: Mark Meredith, Office of the Elected Mayor, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Freepost ST1073, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1BR. They can e-mail at mayormeredith@stoke.gov.uk . They can also send a text message on 07786200700 – text EMAYOR then the message. Mark said: “I’ll also be presenting my Green Paper at a series of forums and events, where people will be most welcome to give me their views in person.” Whatever way people choose to make their comments I would ask them to please send them to me by the end of February. “This will allow me to take your ideas on board and develop them into proposals that will improve housing quality and choice for everyone in Stoke-on-Trent.” Where can I find out more about housing policies? Look at the city council’s own housing webpages stoke.gov.uk/housing and pick up a wide selection of leaflets and publications available from the Civic Centre, libraries and local centres.

Your chance to shape the future of housing in city E

VERYONE in the city is being asked to have their say on shaping the future of housing in Stoke-on-Trent.

Elected Mayor Mark Meredith is publishing a Green Paper which will stimulate debate and put forward proposals to ensure all residents have a decent, sustainable and affordable home. All members of the public, from householder and city council tenants to resident groups, landlords and housing associations are being encouraged to read the documents, and feedback on the proposals. The Green Paper is available as a pdf download from the city council’s website and in hard copy form from city council buildings. Once feedback has been compiled, a multi-agency working group – headed by Councillor Joan Bell, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Neighbourhood Management –

will be set up to discuss the ideas generated and use them to devise housing policies over the next few years. The paper looks at four main action areas which are: ● Affordable housing within a sustainable housing market. ● Community empowerment. ● Reducing waiting lists for social housing in Stoke-on-Trent. ● Tackling the credit crunch. It also highlights Government policies that have been

announced on housing and looks at the work the city council has done over the past few months. People will be able to read about the plans then send back their suggestions on the four main topics. There is also a shorter questions and answers section at the end of the document that people can fill in and send back either electronically or by post. Mayor Meredith said: “We are looking at a long term strategy that will shape the future of housing in the city. This is something that is going to affect

This is the widest ever undertaken on housing in Stoke-on-Trent – and highlights the issues and the challenges that we face together, as a council and as a wider community.

“

”

ELECTED MAYOR MARK MEREDITH

everyone, so we want everyone to be involved. We want to know what residents think of the proposals that are aimed at them and at the same time we want the people who can help us provide the solutions – such as landlords, housing associations and people from the construction industry to also provide much-needed feedback.” He added: “This, my third Green Paper, is designed to place the people of the city at the heart of policy-making. This is the widest ever undertaken on housing in Stoke-on-Trent – and highlights the issues and the challenges that we face together, as a city council and as a wider community. “For instance, there are 10,000 people on the city council house waiting list and at the same time around 10,000 properties sitting empty in the city. “We need to work closely with people who own these houses and work out a solution which will benefit everyone.”

JANUARY 2009

Our City

Nurturing gives vital support gives vital support for vulnerable schoolchildren V

ULNERABLE children in Stoke-on-Trent are being supported by nurture groups that have been set up in 18 primary schools across the city.

The groups are for those pupils whose learning is affected by their social, emotional and behavioural needs. Nurturing helps to develop communication and interaction skills so the children are successful in their class and happy in the school environment. As well as focusing on the children’s development, the groups work with families and outside agencies to give the broadest possible help to the youngsters. Up to 12 pupils spend half their school day in a group in a dedicated area, supervised by a teacher and learning assistant specially trained in nurturing techniques, and the other half is spent in their mainstream class. Groups in Stoke-on-Trent schools have established links with outside organisations. For example, a Rainbow Cottage play house built by Newcastle-under-

Lyme College construction students for Norton Primary School provides a place where pupils can take part in a number of activities, including role play and life skills. The programme has also been rolled out to three special schools in Stoke-on-Trent, while pupils at some secondary schools are being helped by the equivalent programme for older children at the REACH Pupil Referral Unit. Delegates from throughout Staffordshire who attended a nurture conference at Port Vale Football Club saw for themselves the positive results being achieved by this kind of help. High school pupils Selina Wazir and Billie Jo Hughes, who have both benefited through REACH, impressed everyone with their abilities by introducing key speakers at the conference and talking to delegates. The youngsters have developed their confidence along with other skills, and between them they will be taking 16 GCSE exams this summer. REACH head teacher Lorna Matley said: “The girls did a fabulous job at the conference. It showed how well they have

Selina Wazir, 16, with head teacher of the REACH 4 centre Lorna Matley progressed under the scheme.” Carol Owen, Behaviour and Attendance Officer with Children and Young People’s Services, said: “Nurture groups provide a secure, predictable environment where the different developmental needs of each pupil are catered for. “They focus on emotional and social development as well as

academic progress.” Councillor Roger Ibbs, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People’s Services, said: “Nurturing support is vital work which helps vulnerable children to develop and integrate into mainstream schooling, and it also helps those who may feel a sense of isolation when they need extra help.”

GPs extend surgery hours to give more flexible service THE majority of GP practices across Stoke-onTrent are now providing extended evening and weekend surgery hours to give patients a more flexible service. Out of the city’s 55 practices, a total of 43 have introduced the extra opening times in a bid to meet patient demand and allow people – especially those who work long hours – more options when it comes to booking appointments. The idea for extended hours was first introduced last March, with 38 practices overall signing up to stay open longer and hold weekend surgeries during 2008. Since the beginning of this year, a further five have added themselves to the list and plans are being made so the remaining 12 in the city can also follow suit. Sandra Jones, Planning Manager for NHS Stoke on Trent, said: “The hours vary depending on each practice, but the intended outcome is to increase patients’ access to primary care

services outside the normal core contracted hours. Each practice has to provide 30 minutes of extra opening hours per thousand registered patients, so additional hours will depend on what their list is like. “This new move is in line with patients’ needs and wishes. The majority of practices have done patient surveys and the new hours are dependent on the results of each one, or on discussions that particular surgery has had with its patients. “Some are choosing to open earlier in the mornings or later in the evenings, or on Saturday mornings as well. These vary and some could be open just for GP appointments, while others will be providing nurse appointments as well,” she added. “It’s mainly directed at people who work and find it very difficult to access GP services during their working hours. So far the response we’ve had has been very positive. “We have provided funding for a number of

GP Kesha Seth talks to patient at Fenton Health Centre. individual practices who wished to send out letters informing patients of their extended opening hours, but anyone contacting their own surgery can find out the new times. The information can also be found on our website.” For details of new GP extended opening hours go to www.stokepct.nhs.uk or www.nhs.uk

Secure phone contact list helps officers A COMPUTER-BASED phone book has been developed in Stoke-on-Trent to improve communications between professionals looking after children. ContactPoint helps officers from the city council, police and NHS Stoke on Trent to quickly find out who else is supporting the same child. The system can only be used by people whose job it is to help children and young people, such as school nurses, youth workers and social workers. It meets tough security standards and will only be used by the right people and in the right way. ContactPoint Manager Michael Convey said: “Only people who need to use ContactPoint as part of their job to help support children and young people will have access to it. “These people will have undergone mandatory training and passed security checks before being granted access.”

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NEW multi-million pound project to train hundreds of construction workers is to be launched in Stoke-on-Trent – in readiness for a planned building boom in North Staffordshire.

A dedicated centre – based at a former city council depot in Federation Road, Burslem – opens its doors to the first trainees in February and numbers are expected to swell to 600 by the middle of the year. Funded using £5.3 million from the Department for Work and Pensions Flexible Routeway Project, the scheme will provide free training and support for local unemployed people. One of the aims is to drive down Stoke-on-Trent’s high number of benefits claimants and adults who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs). Besides building trades courses, the centre will provide training for the logistics industry including LGV and fork lift truck driving. This is a joint initiative between Stoke on Trent College, the city council and housing maintenance company Kier Stoke. Thousands of trained construction workers will be needed for programmed building projects in North Staffordshire worth hundreds of millions of pounds. They include schemes such a Hanley’s East/West Precinct, the University Quarter, new-build at

Training centre to help city gear up for building boom the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and the flagship City Waterside housing development. Andy Greenhough, Stoke on Trent College’s Director of Enterprise and Employer Engagement, said: “There will be a big demand for skilled tradepeople to work on these projects and we are looking to train around 600 people a year at the new centre. By training local people we are not only cutting unemployment but retaining wealth in the area which in turn will boost the local economy.” Mr Greenhough said although the scheme is being launched at a former city council depot the plan is to demolish one of the existing building to make way for a purpose-built facility. Councillor Hazel Lyth, Stoke-on-Trent City Council Portfolio Holder for Culture and Enterprise, said: “Over the next few years North Staffordshire is undergoing major transformations. Hundreds of jobs will be created for construction workers as new homes, businesses and facilities are built in the area. “Projects like these at Federation Road mean that

residents in Stoke-on-Trent will be able to benefit from the regeneration by developing the skills needed to compete for local jobs and opportunities both as employers and employees.”

JOINING FORCES TO TRAIN CONSTRUCTION WORKERS TO BUILD THE CITY’S FUTURE – pictured at outside the city council depot which is to be converted to a training centre are, left to right, Graham Moore, Stoke on College Principal, Teresa Jolley, Keir’s Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, and Alison Knight, the city council’s Director of Employment and Skills.

JANUARY 2009

City centre

Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Holden Lane Residents’ Association have worked together to create a new play area in Repington Road. Here Chairman of the association John Reynolds cuts the first sod. Inset, Robbie Williams. long time, and this play area will hopefully give them exactly that.” The Holden Lane Residents’ Association has played a crucial role designing and funding the play area. Chairman, John Reynolds, said: “If it wasn't for the external

funding we would never have been able to get this project off the ground. “It’s a huge boost for the community. Fund raising has been going on for a long time, and it’s important that the residents come together.”

City to get 12 extra GPs as

new facilities open P

ATIENTS in Stoke-on-Trent are to benefit from 12 new GPs as the city prepares to open two new practices and a GP-led Health and Wellbeing Centre.

The GP practices will be based in Meir and Middleport, with the Health and Wellbeing Centre opening in Hanley in the autumn of this year. NHS Stoke on Trent has appointed three new providers for the services and is busy agreeing contracts so work can commence. The Meir practice, due to open in March, will be run by Willowbank Community Interest Company. It will initially operate from a temporary building but will move into the planned new Meir Health Centre on Weston Road in three years. NHSolutions, who run practices in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Packmoor, will be running the Middleport surgery, which is to be built on the site of the former Middleport Primary School in Morton Street/Newport Lane. A number of sites in Hanley are being considered for the Health and Wellbeing Centre. This will be managed by Badger Harmoni Health Care, who currently deliver GP out of hours services in South Staffordshire. The centre will be open from 8am to 8pm 365 days a year, providing lifestyle checks, screening for chronic diseases and advice on healthy living. The 12 new GPs will be spread across all three facilities, meaning fewer patients for all

Survey to ask visitors if road signs are easy to follow ?È

City council teams up with Robbie to fund new play area ROBBIE Williams’ charity has been helping to make a new play area a hit with youngsters in Sneyd Green. The popstar’s Give it Sum fund, along with the city council and Sport England have all contributed towards £300,000 worth of new equipment. The area has lacked a dedicated place for children to play, but plans for a new, specially designed play area for children of all ages on Repington Road have now been confirmed. There will be a special fenced area for parents with toddlers, a multi-games area for older children to enjoy, and a BMX/skateboarding area. Councillor Debra Gratton, Portfolio Holder for Sport and Leisure, said: “The community has needed somewhere safe and secure for children to play for a

Our City

An artist’s impression of the new Middleport GPs Practice on the site of the former Middleport Primary School in Morton Street/ Newport Lane. other doctors in the city. In addition there will be an increase in practice nurses and administrative and managerial staff at other surgeries. NHS Stoke on Trent Chief Executive Graham Urwin said: “The recruitment drive is central to our Primary Care Strategy. The more doctors we have, the more time they can spend with patients and helping those most in need.

“And rather than just treating patients as they come in to see them, it also gives doctors more time to reach out into their community and work with patients on their lists who are most at risk.” He added: “By getting in there early, rather than treating patients when they get really ill, it’s better for patients and it’s better for NHS resources overall. This is undoubtedly a winwin situation.”

THOUSANDS of visitors to the city are being asked to have their say on the future of key road signs. A questionnaire developed by survey specialists MORI is being sent out to motorists who have travelled to Stoke-on-Trent either as tourists, shoppers or for leisure. Highway planners want to gauge whether signs are easy to follow, particularly to key locations such as the city centre and the Civic Centre. The results will help them co-ordinate which signs need replacing, if wording needs to be changed and whether some signs can be removed. Petronella Yearsley, Senior Engineer in Highway Policies and Programmes, said: “There is a perception that there is some confusion for motorists travelling to the city and we want to look at whether this is true. “One of the key areas is the city centre. People from outside the area may not be aware of the history and geography of the six towns and subsequently may not realise that the city centre is in Hanley and not in Stoke. Similarly they may head for the city centre when looking for the civic centre.” She added: “The results of the survey will help us shape the future of road signage. “Obviously any changes will also be sympathetic to local needs with local identities being retained, and enhanced, wherever possible.” The survey will also determine whether gateway signs to the city on major highways such as the A500 and A50 are clear. Proposals based on the survey findings should be compiled by the end of March, with any new signs being phased in over a two to three year period.

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Residents urged to become involved in decision making RESIDENTS throughout the city are being encouraged to get involved in decision making about services that affect the quality of life in the areas where they live. More people than ever are discovering that, thanks to community involvement, they can have a real say in dealing with issues of particular concern in their neighbourhood. Community involvement is actively encouraged by a powerful partnership of the city council and key agencies such as the NHS, Police, Fire Service and Education Service. This involves communities in the planning, development and management of services, as well as tackling local problems such as crime, anti social behaviour, drug misuse or the lack of play facilities for children. Involvement officers work with local communities to identify their concerns and help them set up effective groups to give people a voice. Partner agencies engage with residents’ associations and use focus groups, forums, the Children’s Trust and other community organisations in order to find out people’s views and identify their needs. Jenny Graham, Community Engagement Manager, said: “By listening to the experiences and ideas of people who live in these communities we can find solutions that will make a lasting difference.” ● If you would like to know more about community involvement, phone Steve Griffiths, Resident Involvement Manager, on 01782 235268.

Ryan Dooley, left, aged 13, and Jaden Kennerly, aged 15, are two of the teenagers who have received certificates for their involvement in community projects.

Plans to build hundreds of extra care homes for elderly A DECISION on funding for around 560 new homes for elderly people – which will plug a shortfall in accommodation and provide for Stoke-on-Trent’s ageing population – will be made in the spring. The decision will follow the city council's submission of its business case next month to a Government review group following research which showed the city had a shortage of around 1,000 homes. If the plans are approved, construction will begin on 390 units of social rented accommodation and up to 170 for part or outright sale in 2012.

Councillor Joan Bell, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Neighbourhood Management, said: “Extra care housing and retirement villages offer independent living with round-the-clock support as necessary. “They are very popular, as is being proven at the existing extra care provision in Berryhill which is standing the test of time. There are currently high waiting lists for extra care services and accommodation, and this is set to rise as 33 per cent of Stoke-on-Trent’s population is over 50 – rising to 42 per cent by 2021. Stoke-on-Trent City Council has a commitment to provide older people with quality of life as well as their health. Further

schemes are being developed – West End Village in Stoke, and in Upper Belgrave Road, Normacot. This extra care and sheltered housing seeks to provide high quality affordable and sustainable accommodation for older people who have varying levels of care needs.” The application for funding follows the opening of the award-winning Rowan Village in Meir last May – which has 75 apartments as well as a gym, shop, hair salon, restaurant, healthy living suite and gardens. The complex won an accolade for meeting housing needs and aspirations at the 2008 UK Housing Awards.

Five year arts festival project spotlights city ceramics as the best in the world

Readers win panto tickets LUCKY readers won family tickets to see the popular Snow White and the Seven Dwarves pantomime at the Regent Theatre in our November competition. The winners were Derek Middleton, Diana Tlupova and Neil Bishop.

TEENAGERS from the Fegg Hayes area of Stoke-on-Trent who have been involved in a series of community projects were honoured at a special ceremony. Certificates were presented to the teenagers aged 13 to 17 years old who have been involved in a wide range of ventures including a graffiti art project, cookery classes and rock climbing. The aim of the scheme – called Stoke-on-Trent Youth Awards – is to encourage young people to get involved in community activities which could help keep them out of trouble. Portfolio Holder for Children and Young Peoples Services Councillor Roger Ibbs said: “Persuading youngsters to get involved in organised activities is not always an easy task and it’s a tribute to both the staff and the teenagers who took part that this scheme has proved to be such a great success. Well done to all.“

Moorcroft paintress Vicky Ford with an example of the classic ware which attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year.

A MAJOR arts festival to showcase Stoke-on-Trent ceramics as the best in the world will take place later this year. As well as highlighting the skills and products which have kept the city as the global number one pottery producer for more than 250 years, the Ceramics Biennial will give new designers the opportunity to show their innovation and expertise. Three such festivals over the next five years are being planned by regeneration chiefs to stimulate international

interest in ceramic production and design in the birthplace of the industry. The first ten week festival takes place between October 3 and December 13 this year, although events throughout 2009 could include temporary ceramic art installations in public spaces throughout the city, a project to encourage schoolchildren to explore the city’s ceramic heritage, skills and pride and a scheme to nurture new ceramics businesses in Stoke-on-Trent. Elected Mayor Mark

Meredith said: “Stoke-onTrent’s success was built on the pottery industry. The innovation and expertise that is abundant in the city is what makes it the capital of ceramics in the UK. This project will help to highlight this on an international scale making ceramics an exciting and integral part of our future.” Councillor Hazel Lyth, Portfolio Holder for Enteprise and Culture, said: “We still have the creative gene in the city and lots of very diverse ceramics businesses.”

JANUARY 2009

Our City

Hi tech bus shelters with

urban design style F

OUR new eye-catching bus shelters have been installed in Burslem with a winning mix of contemporary urban design and state-of-theart bus timetable technology.

The shelters – two doubles in Swan Square and Market Place and two singles in Fountain Place and Wedgwood Street – are equipped with CCTV and LCD screens which give timetable displays on bus arrivals. Made of aluminium and stainless steel, the structures – designed by an in-house team of city council landscape architects – are vandal-proof, easy to clean and will not rust. “They are a unique design to improve Burslem’s townscape – there are no shelters like this anywhere in the UK,” said Dave Stubbs, Group Manager for Highways. “The display screens currently show the bus timetables, but in early summer we will be in a position to track buses using radio-waves – so the arrival times given will always be spot-on.” In creating the design for the shelters the city council team consulted Urban Vision North Staffordshire, an organisation which promotes high standards of architecture and urban design. The cost of designing, building and installing the shelters was £147,000. Councillor Adrian Knapper, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Economic

Development, said: “The shelters are a great visual addition to the town. The CCTV cameras and up-to-the-minute travel news will encourage more people in Burslem to use public transport.” There are plans to build similar bus shelters over the next few years at key transport locations around Stoke-on-Trent such as the city centre, town centres and Stoke station.

Police Community Support Officer Chris Hill studies the new website

Emails turned into voice messages EMAILS to neighbourhood police officers could soon be turned into voicemails which they can receive while on patrol – thanks to improvements on the Staffordshire Police website. The new-look site already features personalised settings that allow the user to type in their postcode for a local page which includes neighbourhood policing contacts, news and events. And by April it is hoped the force’s Neighbourhood Police Officers will be instantly contactable via

www.staffordshire.police.uk Web Communications Manager, Carl Uttley, said: “It will be particularly useful for people who are hard of hearing and are unable to pick up the phone.” Users will be able to click on a photograph of an officer and then fill out an online form. That message will then be converted into an e-mail which is sent to Staffordshire Police and turned into speech. The officer will then receive a text alerting him or her to the fact he or she has a voicemail.

Above, the new bus shelter in Swan Square and, inset left, shopkeeper Mukhtar Ahmed and Helen Rhodes, Project Support Officer for North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership, look at the shelter’s bus timetable display screen.

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JANUARY 2009

Home Secretary thanks city for action on tackling local crime THE city council is blazing a trail in tackling local crime by introducing a Neighbourhood Crime and Justice Co-ordinator. The project, backed by the Home Office, is designed to give local communities a real voice when it comes to tackling crime and anti social behaviour. The post will cover a number of key areas, including: ● Providing a link between local communities, city council officers and councillors. ● Co-ordinating drug and anti social behaviour messages.

Police post launched MORE community police posts could be opening across Stoke-on-Trent after residents led a campaign for a new facility in Middleport. Four officers will be based at the new outpost, located in the annexe at St Paul’s in Church Square. They will hold police surgeries on a weekly basis. The new facility is a result of feedback from residents who said they would like to see more bobbies on the beat to fight anti social behaviour. Chief Superintendent Jane Sawyers, Divisional Commander for Stoke-on-Trent, said: “This is the second post to open recently following the one in Fenton, and there is a possibility that more will be appearing across Stoke-onTrent as community officers get to know people in the local area.” Residents are being urged to visit the police post between 2pm and 4pm on Tuesday to pass on their concerns. PC Andy Graham, one of the officers who will be based there, said: “We want local people to work with us and give us a better understanding of the problems we need to be tackling.”

Police Community Support Officer Adam Syred – one of four officers based at Middleport’s new police post.

● Working to ensure the local community is in touch with what both the city council and Staffordshire Police are doing to help tackle issues in their area. ● Integrating Neighbourhood Policing Units, Neighbourhood Management and local criminal justice agencies at a community level. Stoke-on-Trent is one of just 60 local authorities taking part in the project, and the city has been praised by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith for pioneering the scheme.

She said: “I am grateful to Stoke-onTrent for signing up to take action to open up the criminal justice system so that the public can see the tough consequences for those that break the law and also driving forward the action needed so that the public know what their rights are. “The new Neighbourhood Crime and Justice Co-ordinators will be a dedicated resource to act on the public’s behalf to make sure that justice is done and seen to be done in their local communities.” Councillor Joan Bell, Portfolio Holder

for Community Safety, said: “The Neighbourhood Crime and Justice Co-ordinator will be an important role within each of our communities in Stoke-on-Trent, encompassing a wide range of activities that we hope will improve the quality of life for people in the city. It’s vitally important that we as a city council, and our partners, are as in touch as much as possible with people who live and work in our city, and address any concerns they have. The new post will provide a key link between communities and us to achieve this.”

Former pit transformed into haven for wildlife P

LANS to turn the site of the former Chatterley Whitfield colliery into a heritage country park have been approved by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The 50 hectare site will become a wildlife haven with green space amenities for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and visitors who simply want to sit and enjoy peace and beauty in an area steeped in industrial history. Chatterley Whitfield once employed more than 4,000 men and in 1937 it became the first colliery in Britain to mine one million tons of saleable coal in one year, a feat it repeated in 1938. The pit closed in 1976, but the site has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by English Heritage. The first phase of the country park project will involve moving about one million cubic metres of earth from the spoil heaps to be redistributed around the site. The project is a partnership between the city council, English Heritage, English Partnerships, The Government Office - West Midlands, Advantage West Midlands, The Land Restoration Trust, Groundwork, Friends of Chatterley Whitfield and Joan Walley, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North. Among the attractions will be wetland and reed bed areas next to the river that will create natural habitats for local wildlife, boardwalk viewing platforms and wildflower meadows. Lines of trees will be planted to follow the track of the old colliery railway, while Ford Green Brook will be restored to an ecologically friendly open stream to flow around the edge of the park and there will be a white water cascade feature. The popular cycle route 55 will be retained and more cycle routes created, as well as pedestrian footpaths and a series of horse hop gates will allow horses to roam the park on specially designated paths.

Local artist Rob Pointon, left, with Friends of Chatterley Valley Chairman Jim Worgan at Burslem School of Art looking at Rob’s painting of the colliery featuring Jim who worked at the former pit. The tip mounds on site are to be modified for easy access to the summit, from where visitors will be able to enjoy spectacular views across the area as well as features that reflect the mining heritage. Everything is being done to preserve the ecological balance of the site, which is a haven for the Dingy Skipper butterfly. Local schools along with Fegg Hayes Residents’ Association have taken part in a seed collection programme. Pupils and residents

will grow the seeds and when the country park is finished they will be replanted on the site to encourage the butterfly back. Local amenities already on the site such as the play area and fishing pond will remain. Coloured markers will direct visitors round the park with co-ordinating routes and symbols, while extra seating will also be provided at points along the route. Councillor Adrian Knapper,

Stoke-on-Trent City Council Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “Chatterley Whitfield is a site of immense importance in the city. “The planning permission to create a heritage country park will help celebrate the site’s historical importance while giving residents the chance to once again use the beautiful countryside for recreational use.”

JANUARY 2009

Our City

New piazza set to become town centre focal point A NEW Italian-style public piazza in Burslem is set to attract investment into the town – as well as creating a vibrant focal point for community activities. The £268,000 project has transformed Swan Square from an “ugly duckling” site with closed down underground toilets into a stylish landscaped open space incorporating “wow factor” features. Curved sandstone seating reflects the contours of the terraces and multi-coloured blocks cut a eye-catching pathway through the piazza which makes for an ideal place to meet friends, pass time or stop for a sandwich. The original iron railings that used to surround the Victorian toilets have been reclaimed to provide a “barrier feature” between the seating area and adjacent Waterloo Road and Queen Street – and also retain a link with Burslem’s townscape heritage. “It’s one of the projects which is helping to relight Burslem’s fire,” said Councillor Adrian Knapper, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration

and Economic Development. “It is a fantastic improvement and I believe it will bring investment to this part of the town. “Swan Square is now an impressive entrance to Burslem and a stylish outdoor space with great potential for future use. It would be ideal for specialist markets and music events. I could imagine an Italian restaurant and coffee house off the square with tables and chairs

providing alfresco dining. “The design fits in well with a town which has more than its fair share of iconic buildings and beautiful architecture.” ● Councillor Adrian Knapper, right, and Burslem Regeneration Manager Julian Read are pictured in Swan Square entering into the spirit of the Italian-style piazza. Above the completed work at Swan Square.

Fairtrade café to help people learn valuable retail job skills

Lord Mayor Councillor Derek Capey shares a cuppa at Expressions Café with volunteer Jeffrey West.

Luxury bus service link between city centre and Trentham Lakes HUNDREDS of passengers have welcomed a new luxury half-hourly bus service launched to transport workers to busy Trentham Lakes from the city centre. The plumline service, complete with plush leather seats and wood laminate flooring, operates every 30 minutes between the city centre, Stoke, Stoke railway station, Sideway, Trentham Lakes and Blurton. The purple vehicles, organised by the city council’s passenger transport team and run by local company Wardle Transport, complements the existing 500 and 350 bus services. Flexible ticket options are available

on the plumline bus, including the Smart multi-operator ticket that can be used on most buses across the city. Councillor Adrian Knapper, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Regeneration, said: “It’s great that the city and Wardle Transport can work together to offer such a high quality of transport to local people. “By giving passengers that little bit extra when they use the plumline route we hope it can go from strength to strength and will mean more people across the city use public transport.”

A NEW cafe has become the first in Stoke-on-Trent city centre to empower people with learning disabilities and help producers overseas. Expressions Café in the Potteries Shopping Centre will be staffed by nine adults – each volunteering three days a week to sell solely Fairtrade goods. The staff, supported by city council officers, will learn valuable job skills that can lead to paid work and also access retail training and college courses. They will sell a range of Fairtrade items including jewellery, handbags and perfume at the café – which will also act as an information centre for issues relating to learning disabilities.

Councillor Jean Bowers, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care, Health and Communities, said: "We want to give people with learning disabilities the opportunities to be able to play a valued part in the local community and to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions.” The café is also equipped with a workshop area at which shoppers can join workers in card making, scrapbook compiling and knitting sessions. Volunteer Derek Davies, 69, from Hartshill, said: “The café is marvellous. I go to Shelton Day Service and volunteered to come here three days a week. I haven’t done anything like this before, but I enjoy serving people.”

MAYOR ON AIR Every fortnight tune in to local community radio station Cross Rhythms City Radio, 101.8FM, to catch the latest update with Mayor Mark Meredith as he comments on all the latest news and issues in the city. Got a question for Mark? Then email radio@crossrhythms.co.uk.

For a list of forthcoming updates go to www.crossrhythms.co.uk/ mayoronair

e c i l o P

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JANUARY 2009

NEIGHBOURHOOD ACTION TEAM PC 4021 Andy Edwards PC 0971 Paul Nixon PC 4838 Gareth Whitfield PC 4106 Paul Massey

CONTACT NUMBERS IT’S easy to get in touch with a local beat bobby or Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) via their digital airwave radios. All officers have individual collar numbers which are either four or five digits long. For officers with four digit numbers dial 0300 123 2345 then enter ‘0’ followed by the four digit collar number of the officer you need to speak to. No ‘0’ is needed for officers with five digit collar numbers. If the officer is on duty, their radio rings like a mobile phone and you will be connected. If they are off duty or dealing with victims, witnesses or offenders, your call goes through to the officer’s individual voicemail box. Remember, in an emergency, dial 999.

Bucknall Neighbourhood NPU commander – Inspector 3283

Steve Jones Bucknall Police Post, Ruxley Road, Bucknall, Stoke-on-Trent, ST2 9BG.

SNEYD GREEN PC 4837 PCSO 8980

Sarah Griffiths Charlotte Barker

NEIGHBOURHOOD ACTION TEAM PC 0735 Jo Powell PC 0998 Peter Underwood

Tel. 0300 123 4455 email: bucknall.npu@staffordshire. pnn.police.uk All officers are based at Bucknall. SGT 3615 Paul Clarke SGT 3415 Dave Lowe SGT 0763 Emily McGonigle ABBEY HULTON PC 4837 PCSO 16295 PCSO 8982 BENTILEE PC 5078 PC 4755 PCSO 16226 PCSO 6612

Dylan Morrey Steve Cowan Marie McCormack Scott Turner Craig Shields Rachel Knight Andrew Meakin

BERRYHILL & EATON PARK PC 4953 Angela Broadhurst PCSO 8983 Rob Guthrie BUCKNALL AND TOWNSEND PC 975 Nathan Ames PCSO 16417 Razwana Nasheen JOINER’S SQUARE PC 0970 Paul Sajdak PCSO 16232 Andy Alcock PCSO 8893 Lucy Stevenson MILTON, BADDELEY GREEN WEST AND NORTON HEIGHTS PC 0865 Clare Bowker PCSO 6514 Nicky Burton SMALLTHORNE PC 3911 PCSO 6613 PCSO 16231

Keiron Edridge Matthew Lockett Carl Radford

Longton Neighbourhood NPU commander – Inspector 0892

Asha Kaur Longton Police Station, Sutherland Road, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 1HH.

Tel. 0300 123 4455 email: longton.npu@staffordshire. pnn.police.uk All officers are based at Longton Police Station. Sgt 3890 Ian Jones Sgt 3862 Tony Godwin Sgt 4082 Adrian Hughes DRESDEN, FLORENCE, LIGHTWOOD & NORMACOT PC 5274 James Ibbs PC 5169 Toni Sunderland PCSO 6433 George Bould PCSO 6627 Nadeem Malik PCSO 16240 Leanne Sherratt LIGHTWOOD, MEIR PARK & MEIR SOUTH PC 4090 Russ Elliot PC 4725 Wayne Flowers PCSO 6500 Mark Simon PCSO 8828 Nichola Kirkham

01782 794600

BENTILEE

01782 231300

SMALLTHORNE

01782 425755

BLURTON

01782 227770

STOKE

01782 425220

BURSLEM

01782 425700

TRENT VALE

01782 425260

WHITFIELD VALLEY

01782 425720

TUNSTALL

01782 425800

FENTON

01782 723100

HANFORD

01782 421000

HANLEY

01782 202422

NORTON

01782 534599

Tel. 0300 123 4455 email: stoke.npu@staffordshire.pnn. police.uk All officers are based at Stoke Police Station. Sgt 0583 Jo Blandford Sgt 4653 Phil Eaton Sgt 3851 Dave Fenton BASFORD, CLIFF VALE, HARTSHILL WEST & HOSPITAL PC 4685 Steve Wilson BLURTON, NEWSTEAD & HOLLYBUSH PC 4822 Sean Woodward PC 5107 Simon Stone PCSO 16234 Stephen Sherratt PCSO 6607 Philip McGlynn BOOTHEN & TOWN CENTRE PC 4433 Andy Birchenall PC 4941 Craig Flaherty PCSO 8825 Karen Billings FEN PARK PC 0905 PCSO 8827

Robert Mountford Scott Holland

FENTON, HERON CROSS & MOUNT PLEASANT PC 4576 Steve Stuttard PC 4475 Ivor Owens PC 4959 Kerrie Mayer PCSO 6443 Rachel Mountford PCSO 16229 Wendy Rodgers HANFORD & TRENTHAM PC 4034 Malcolm Ford PC 540 Nerine Forrest PCSO 6609 Penny Carr HARTSHILL EAST & PENKHULL PC 5133 Scott Gidman PCSO 8958 Paul Muller TRENT VALE PC 4964 PCSO 16634

Andrea Oakes Charlotte Bryan

NEIGHBOURHOOD ACTION TEAM PC 5050 Roy Barber PC 0762 Becky Harris PC 4382 Dave Ellis

Mark Hardern

PACKMOOR

01782 425676

Stoke Police Station, Boothen Road, Stoke–on–Trent, ST4 4AH.

MEIR HAY & SAXONFIELDS PC 0733 Donna Talbot PC 4991 Steven Meigh PCSO 6603 Gemma Price PCSO 8829 Kate Stevenson PCSO 8892 Andrew Spooner

01782 427900

MEIR

Christopher Harrington

Tunstall Neighbourhood

ABBEY HULTON

01782 425530

NPU commander – Inspector 3734

LONGTON NORTH & LONGTON TOWN PC 3287 Frank Flannigan PCSO 16224 Zoe Garside

HEALTH CENTRES r u o Y

LONGTON

Stoke Neighbourhood

For more information and advice on health issues please call NHS Direct on

0845 46 47

or visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk or www.nhs.uk

NPU commander – Inspector 3573 Tunstall Police Station, Scotia Road, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 6BG.

Tel. 0300 123 4455 email: tunstall.npu@staffordshire. pnn.police.uk

All officers are based at Tunstall Police Station. SGT 5100 Rob Bateman SGT 4594 Marcus Ferns

PC 0806 PCSO 8987 PCSO 8831

Amanda White Liz Old Katie Sullivan

BALL GREEN & NORTON PC 4383 Andy Baddeley PC 877 Claire Crank PCSO 16238 Masmino John

ETRURIA AND SHELTON NORTH PC 4632 Andy Mander PC 4389 Guy Wain PCSO 8995 Lucy Slater PCSO 16230 Vicki Smith

BRADELEY, BURSLEM PARK & SMALLTHORNE PC 3822 Rob Thomas PC 5086 Craig Carpenter PCSO 16235 Sarah Wood PCSO 16233 Hannah Mayer

LONGPORT AND MIDDLEPORT PC 4368 Andy Graham PC 0966 Adam Syred PCSO 6628 Tich Nyamayaro PCSO 8832 Adam van de Sande

BRINDLEY FORD, OXFORD, PACKMOOR & TURNHURST PC 0944 Jaime Isaacs PCSO 8986 Andrew Wootton

NORTHWOOD PC 3829 PCSO 9045

CHELL HEATH PC 4904 PCSO 6616

SHELTON SOUTH PC 4139 Dave Marshall PCSO 16299 Katie Brickley PCSO 6484 Lisa Donachie

John Swinnerton Sally Wright

STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY PC 4483 Keith Emery

FEGG HAYES & GREAT CHELL PC 4969 Sam Bray PCSO 6513 Sara Bowen

NEIGHBOURHOOD ACTION TEAM SGT 4336 Craig Burton PC 5106 Gareth Cheetham PC 5056 Andy Percey PC 5137 Adrian Firth

GOLDENHILL & SANDYFORD PC 4733 Glyn Talbot PCSO 8953 Michael Frost STANFIELDS & MILL HILL PC 5055 Dan Marsh TUNSTALL PC 4835 PC 5158 PCSO 8954

CITY CENTRE NPU commander

Adam Edwards Amanda Whitfield Richard Farrar

Inspector 3509 Shaun Kerrigan Hanley Police Station, Bethesda St, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3DR.

NEIGHBOURHOOD ACTION TEAM PC 4233 Dave O’Donnell PC 3755 Paul Harris PC 4858 Simon Price PC 3930 Steve Farmer

Tel. 0300 123 4455 city.npu@staffordshire.pnn.police.uk Sgt 4151 Brevic Jones Sgt 4777 Jon Ward Sgt 4425 Phil White

Burslem and City Centre Neighbourhoods BURSLEM NPU commander

Inspector 4465 Martin Brereton Burslem Police Station, Jackson Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 1AF.

Tel. 0300 123 4455 email: burslem.npu@staffordshire. pnn.police.uk Sgt 4602 Paul Clarke Sgt 3840 John Hazeldine BIRCHES HEAD PC 0848 PCSO 8979 PCSO 16225 PCSO 8984

Ruth Barlow Michelle Chadwick Adrian Hemmings Rebecca Simon

BURSLEM AND SNEYD GREEN WEST PC 0896 Tracy Adams PCSO 8957 Justine Marsh PCSO 6440 Wendy Rigby CENTRAL FOREST PARK PC 0805 Kate Beardmore

Ian Martin Sue Wall

CITY CENTRE PC 4528 PC 0817 PC 0726 PC 0400 PC 4644 PC 4511 PC 4634 PC 5410 PC 0564 PC 4149 PCSO 16293 PCSO 8516 PCSO 8955 PCSO 8457

Darren Belford Kerry Grant Claire Harrison Diane Hoyle Rob Kelsall Richard Longmore Lee Robinson Steve Smith Lisa Trevor Jason Howell Mel Bartholemew Andrea Bolam Chris Hill Simon Holmes

ETURIA ROAD CORRIDOR & FESTIVAL PARK PC 4871 Lucas Hackney PC 0605 Nicola Humphries PC 4452 Roger Poole PC 4133 Craig Russell PC 5208 Andy Sherratt PC 5445 Greg Hill PC 837 Sharon Ribbans PCSO 6602 Chris Cantrell PCSO 16227 Daniel Nettleton PCSO 8830 Chris Stone Special constables All NPUs are supported by a team of special constables.

Fire & Rescue contact numbers S-O-T AREA COMMAND AREA COMMANDER Julian Hilditch 01785 898890

ASSISTANT AREA COMMANDER – BURSLEM Andy Kinsman 01785 898576

ASSISTANT AREA COMMANDER – LONGTON Glynn Luznyj 01785 898693

HEAD OF STOKE ON TRENT RISK REDUCTION Kelvin Knapper 01785 898882

ASSISTANT AREA COMMANDER – HANLEY Helen Harrison 01785 898595

ADMINISTRATION MANAGER Paula Goodwin 01785 898895

COMMUNITY SAFETY ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS Will Gascoigne 01785 898884 Chris Thomas 01785 898883

RISK REDUCTION OFFICERS Donna Broadhead 01785 898904 Jim Taffe 01785 898976 Maj Ullah 01785 898948

Dave Gallimore 01785 898885

Rehana Iqbal 01785 898891

Guy Volpe 01785 898977

Neil Cheshire 01785 898498

Tracey Cresswell Longton 01785 898951 Ed Case Burslem 01785 898887 Mick Warillow Hanley 01785 898902 Pete Hall Safer City Partnership Officer 07967573263

r u o Y

JANUARY 2009

Abbey Green

COUNCILLORS

ELLIE WALKER (BNP) (01782) 397870 07917 854352 ellie.walker@stoke.gov.uk

Berryhill and Hanley East

Blurton

RITA DALE (City Independents) (01782) 267451 07778 858734 rita.dale@stoke.gov.uk

ADRIAN KNAPPER (Lab) 07714 334453/ 07825 732724 adrian.knapper@stoke. gov.uk

JOHN DAVIS (City Independents) (01782) 264126 07786 440876 john.davis@stoke.gov.uk

Burslem South

JAVID IQBAL NAJMI (Lab) 07846 879920 javid.najmi@stoke.gov.uk

DEBRA GRATTON (Lab) 07825 732713 debra.gratton@ stoke.gov.uk

MOHAMMED PERVEZ (Lab) 07919 917632 07825 732690 mohammed.pervez@ stoke.gov.uk

ALBY WALKER (BNP) (01782) 397870 07917 854342 albert.walker@stoke.gov.uk

DEREK CAPEY (City Independents) (01782) 319949 07752 851323 derek.capey@stoke.gov.uk

PAUL SHOTTON (Lab) (01782) 845323 paul.shotton@ stoke.gov.uk

TOM REYNOLDS (Lab) (01782) 342295 07783 414459 tom.reynolds@stoke.gov.uk

ZULFIQAR ALI (Lib Dem) 07838 262062 zulfiqar.ali@stoke.gov.uk

DEREK HALL (City Independents) (01782) 258715 07837 185310 derek.hall@stoke.gov.uk

BRIAN WARD (City Independents) (01782) 312670 07814 501534 brian.ward@stoke.gov.uk

BAGH ALI (Lab) (01782) 343246 07973 848428 bagh.ali@stoke.gov.uk

PETER KENT-BAGULEY (Potteries Alliance) 07773 464626 peter.kent-baguley@ stoke.gov.uk

ALAN JOYNSON (Non-aligned Group) (01782) 413683 alan.joynson@ stoke.gov.uk

JOAN BELL (Lab) (01782) 318998 07757 708703 joan.bell@stoke.gov.uk

Norton and Bradeley

DAVE SUTTON (Lib Dem) (01782) 542998 07512 564815 dave.sutton@stoke.gov.uk

ALAN RIGBY (City Independents) (01782) 542364 07790 374152 alan.rigby@stoke.gov.uk

JEAN BOWERS (Lib Dem) (01782) 262613 07712 350430 jean.bowers@stoke.gov.uk

KIERAN CLARKE (Lib Dem) (01782) 788010 07886 358143 kieran.clarke@stoke.gov.uk

Trentham and Hanford

ROGER IBBS (Conservative & Independent Alliance) 07824 867748 roger.ibbs@stoke.gov.uk

JANINE BRIDGES (City Independents) (01782) 851842 07989 385631 janine.bridges@ stoke.gov.uk

MEGAN RYAN (Conservative & Independent Alliance) (01782) 866761 07903 458768 megan.ryan@stoke.gov.uk

DAVID MARFLEET (BNP) (01782) 876661 07745 157918 david.marfleet@ stoke.gov.uk

MICK SALIH (Non-aligned Group) (01782) 533542 07977 843026 mick.salih@stoke.gov.uk

JEAN EDWARDS (Lab) (01782) 816171 jean.edwards@ stoke.gov.uk

DAVID CONWAY (Lab) (01782) 790922 david.conway@ stoke.gov.uk

JOY GARNER (Lab) (01782) 768846 07986 442770 joy.garner@stoke.gov.uk

HAZEL LYTH (Conservative & Independent Alliance) 07825 732680 hazel.lyth@stoke.gov.uk

GEOFF KNIGHT (Potteries Alliance) (01782) 765770 geoff.knight@ stoke.gov.uk

JOANNE POWELLBECKETT (Cons & Independent Alliance) 07913 483333 joanne.powell-beckett@ stoke.gov.uk

Hartshill and Penkhull

MOHAMMAD IQBAL (Lab) (01782) 266893 07792 071266 mohammad.iqbal@ stoke.gov.uk

IAN MITCHELL (City Independents) (01782) 314353 07885 104596 ian.mitchell@stoke.gov.uk

RANDOLPH CONTEH (City Independents) (01782) 256869 randolph.conteh@ stoke.gov.uk

BARBARA BEESTON (City Independents) (01782) 612072 07729 896622 barbara.beeston@ stoke.gov.uk

Meir Park and Sandon

MICHAEL BARNES (Lab) (01782) 870065 07877 652395 michael.barnes@ stoke.gov.uk

CLIVE BRIAN (Conservative & Independent Alliance) (01782) 315702 clive.brian@stoke.gov.uk

JOHN BURGESS (BNP) (01782) 394397 07889 137308 john.burgess@stoke.gov.uk

MARGARET PYATT (City Independents) (01782) 319372 margaret.pyatt@ stoke.gov.uk

Stoke and Trent Vale

SHEILA MATTHEWS (Conservative & Independent Alliance) (01782) 258374 sheila.matthews@ stoke.gov.uk

Tunstall

ROSS IRVING (Conservative & Independent Alliance) (01782) 335982 07900 135565 ross.irving@stoke.gov.uk

PHILLIP SANDLAND (BNP) (01782) 342372 phillip.sandland@ stoke.gov.uk

East Valley

Longton South

DENVER TOLLEY (Lab) (01782) 316815 07799 032939 denver.tolley@stoke.gov.uk

STEVEN BATKIN (BNP) (01782) 859054 steven.batkin@ stoke.gov.uk

Burslem North

Northwood and Birches Head

TERENCE FOLLOWS (City Independents) (01782) 318127 terence.follows@ stoke.gov.uk

MELANIE BADDELEY (BNP) (01782) 763615 07979 508837 melanie.baddeley@ stoke.gov.uk

Hanley West and Shelton

Longton North

MARK DAVIS (Lab) 07813 473625 mark.davis@stoke.gov.uk

ANN JAMES (City Independents) (01782) 836766 ann.james@stoke.gov.uk

Bentilee and Townsend

Chell and Packmoor

Fenton

MICK BELL (City Independents) (01782) 847760 mick.bell@stoke.gov.uk

ROY NAYLOR (City Independents) (01782) 313975 07833 183922 roy.naylor@ stoke.gov.uk

Our City

GAVIN WEBB (Libertarian) 07949 026660 gavin.webb@ stoke.gov.uk

PAUL BILLINGTON (Lib Dem) (01782) 413225 07743 566138 paul.billington@stoke.gov.uk

PAULINE JOYNSON (Non-aligned Group) (01782) 413683 07813 836057 pauline.joynson@ stoke.gov.uk

Weston and Meir North

MOHAMMED MATLOOB (Lab) (01782) 577658 07811 147372 mohammed.matloob@ stoke.gov.uk

LEE WANGER (Conservative & Independent Alliance) 07971 303729 lee.wanger@stoke.gov.uk

MICHAEL COLEMAN (BNP) (01782) 311697 07926 532922 michael.coleman@ stoke.gov.uk

JOHN DANIELS (Conservative & Independent Alliance) (01782) 396780 07885 894804 john.daniels@stoke.gov.uk

ANTHONY SIMMONDS (BNP) (01782) 334919 07855 885606 anthony.simmonds@ stoke.gov.uk

Our City J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9

Top citizens announced THE winners of the Stoke-on-Trent Citizen of the Year Competition 2008 were announced at a glittering awards evening. Hundreds of nominations were received for the awards that recognise achievements, determination and enthusiasm. Stoke-on-Trent Elected Mayor Mark Meredith said: “Once again the people of Stoke-on-Trent have shown what a dynamic, innovative, creative, hard-working and caring city we are.” The winners were: Christopher Bascombe Architectural Design Award. Nex Level – Young People’s Creative Skills Award. Jim Halliday – Environment Award. Edward Whitfield, Fedd N Leave Ltd – Innovation Award. Professor Steve Chapman – Innovation in Medical Technology and Development Award. Rachel Smith – Young Person’s Community Award. Ann Belfield – Community Improvement Champion Award. Residents Who Care – Community Group Award. Terri and Bobbie Stevens – Young Carer Award. Kathy Crawley – Education Award. Lois Bell – Young Person’s Achievement Award Hafsa Salim – Adult Learner Award. Andrew Porter – Entrepreneur Award. Angela Glendinning – Citizen of the Year Award. You can view the awards ceremony at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v= 14qCydY0-Fg

THIS NUMBER COULD BE A LIFESAVER... showing the MORE For Less freephone telephone number are, left to right: Carol Cooper, Loren Hughes, Sarah-Jane Dockey, Hayley Smith, Paul Cavanagh, Howard Rhead, Steve Leech, Ian Sloss, Andy Buttery, Chris Enness and Heather Garner.

Jobs created to blaze a trail for home fire safety T

WENTY two extra staff have been recruited to cope with demand for free home fire safety checks in the city.

In the six months since Staffordshire Fire Service’s MORE For Less campaign was launched, over 4,000 householders have called the freephone helpline and booked a visit from a fire safety expert. The safety drive aims to reduce

the number of serious injuries and deaths from accidental house fires. It couldn’t be easier to book a home safety check – the freephone telephone number means help is just a call away, and it doesn’t cost a penny. The package of safety measures which are expected to have a significant impact in improving home fire safety in the city includes: ● Smoke alarms. ● Fire guards.

● Deep fat fryers to replace chip pans. ● Electrical adaptors which are properly fused. ● Devices which can automatically power down electrical appliances rather than leaving them on standby. ● Vibrating pillows and pagers which can alert people who are deaf or hard of hearing if their smoke alarm has gone off. The new recruits joining the campaign team include five

Potters Arf marathon encourages fitness

Local runner Ben Gamble wins the 2008 Potters Arf.

RUNNERS are being encouraged to get on track for a healthier future by training-up for the Potters Arf Marathon. The event, which is the biggest in the Stoke-on-Trent running calendar, takes place this year on June 14. However, to guarantee a good performance in the 13.1 mile run - which takes in Fenton, Longton, Bentilee, Abbey Hulton, Milton, Baddeley Green and Sneyd Green – participants need to put in plenty of miles before the event. Event Director Don Shelley said: “Every year first time runners and charity runners take part in the race. Starting in the New Year and with a training plan there is time to build-up to the run.

“For those with less time to train, the Potters Arf can be run as a four part relay, which is very popular with groups of friends, work colleagues and charity runners.” The marathon is supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and meets its Sport and Physical Activity Strategy which aims to encourage people to become more physically active. The council has a target of getting 30 per cent of people in the city doing half an hour of exercise five times a week by 2012. For more information, advice, training and entry forms visit www.potters-arf.co.uk or phone Don Shelley on 07760 218809.

Our City is published by a partnership of Stoke-on-Trent

City Council, NHS Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue. Contact us by mail at FREEPOST Our City or by email at ourcity@stoke.gov.uk or telephone 01782 232900

members of staff to take calls and process requests, 15 technicians who are responsible for carrying out the home safety checks and two specialist staff to deal with checks for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Chief Fire Officer Peter Dartford said: “This campaign is proving to be more successful than we ever imagined. “The investment we have put into this campaign demonstrates our commitment to ensuring its success continues into the future. We are determined that no-one should die from an accidental fire in their home.” The home fire risk checks involve a firefighter or service technician visiting people in their homes to give advice and fit equipment like smoke alarms to make sure the home is safe. “To reassure residents, all visiting firefighters and service technicians carry an ID card and will always travel in service vehicles. Although checks for elderly and vulnerable people are prioritised, the service is open to everyone. ● To book a free Home Fire Risk Check just call the FREEPHONE number, 0800 0241 999, alternatively text 07528 983101, minicom 0800 0241 998 or visit www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk. In an emergency dial 999.